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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254662">Clarke Vs.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/raccoonhearteyes/pseuds/raccoonhearteyes'>raccoonhearteyes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chuck AU, F/F, F/M, Fake Dating, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, cia lexa, nsa anya</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:54:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>69,421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254662</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/raccoonhearteyes/pseuds/raccoonhearteyes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Chuck AU</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anya/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin &amp; Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake &amp; Lincoln</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>319</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>904</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Clarke vs. The Email</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke trudged through the front door of her apartment, kicked off her Chucks near the mat, tossed her messenger bag onto the chair, and gave a brief nod to the cuddled-up pile of Octavia and Lincoln on the couch. The pair gave a quick wave before returning to their recently engaged cuddle bliss. Clarke didn’t even need the greeting; she was just happy they weren’t naked this time. </p>
<p>She padded through the living room into the kitchen, rummaged through the freezer for a hot pocket, and tossed it into the microwave. While she waited, she dug the pocket protector and ID badge out of the left breast pocket of her short-sleeved white button up, and pondered how her life had led her to this point.  Working at a glorified electronics Walmart. Living with an engaged couple. No romantic prospects. And worst of all, wearing a pocket protector unironically. </p>
<p>Octavia and Clarke had been friends since they could walk. They lived next door to each other and an spent equal amount of time in the other’s house as they did in their own. They spent every holiday, birthday, and available moment with each other as kids. After Clarke’s mom abandoned her and her father when she was 9, Octavia’s mom pretty much fully adopted her into the family. Clarke’s mother’s absence uprooted the entire Griffin household. Clarke’s father was always an oddball, but after her mother left, he became even more of a crazy recluse. Constantly tinkering with machines. Wild government conspiracy theories. He would often get so absorbed in his work that he would forget to eat or keep normal hours. While Clarke always knew she was loved and cared for, she was forced to take care of herself for much of her childhood. </p>
<p>By the time Clarke left for college, she had pretty much raised herself. Octavia and her mother helped her move into her dorm, as Clarke’s own father refused to leave the house, convinced the CIA would take him out if he did. When Clarke returned for Thanksgiving break during her freshman year, she arrived to an empty house with nothing but a single gift-wrapped box on the kitchen table with the note “Clarke, Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again”. Inside the box was a necklace with a small infinity symbol charm. That was the last thing Clarke heard from her father. </p>
<p>Clarke thrived in college. She decided to earn her degree in computer science. Much like her father, she had a knack for the work. Coding came easy. Building and debugging were fun challenges. Things were going great for college Clarke. Her grades were good, she had a steady boyfriend, and a solid group of friends. Then one day senior year, she’s called into the Dean’s office and being told she’s been expelled for academic dishonesty. Apparently they found some tests and answer keys in her room and accused her of cheating. One semester shy of a degree, and she’s kicked out with no opportunity for rebuttal. Her roommate and best friend at the time, Costia Daniels, just watched her pack her stuff and leave with no further comment. Clarke is still convinced it was Costia who framed her for the tests. Finn dating Costia not long after the scandal certainly didn’t assuage that bubbling feeling. </p>
<p>So now, two years later, Clarke works at a Buy-More in the Nerd Herd department. She fixes broken computers, helps old people log in to their fully functioning computers despite their yelling that it doesn’t work, and on occasion, gets to go to homes for installations. The work is well beneath her, but Clarke hasn’t been able to bring herself to try for anything since getting kicked out of school. </p>
<p>–BEEP—–BEEP—–BEEP—–BEEP—</p>
<p>Clarke is pulled out of her reminiscent daydream by the alarm of her hot pockets. </p>
<p>Somewhat disheartened by the tragic turn of her life, Clarke grabs her hot pocket and heads to her room, taking a bite of the pocket, immediately burning every surface in her mouth, and letting the mouthful fall back onto her plate. </p>
<p>Once alone in her room, Clarke takes another bite of her hot pocket. This time it’s ice cold and she wonders how science hasn’t figured out how to prevent this yet. As she goes for her third bite of hot pocket roulette (molten lava or iceberg?), she hears a rhythmic thumping and the beginnings of Octavia moaning. She grabs her noise cancelling headphones and shoves them over her ears. She owes Octavia for her lifetime of supportive friendship, but no amount of childhood loyalty can make Clarke willingly subject herself to listening to Linctavia’s acrobatic sex on the opposite side of the apartment. </p>
<p>Clarke dusts the crumbs off her hands on her pants and is about to open League of Legends on her computer when she hears the *ding* that indicates a new e-mail. </p>
<p>She opens her e-mail to find one unread message from none other than Costia Daniels. For a moment, Clarke is convinced she summoned her by thinking over the abrupt ending of her college career only minutes ago. They haven’t spoken since Costia stood there and did nothing while Clarke’s life fell apart around her. </p>
<p> “What the fuck could she possibly want?” Clarke thinks. As far as she knew, Costia stole Clarke’s boyfriend and her dream job developing video games. Clarke sees the subject line: BETA TEST: OVERWATCH. Late nights in the Stanford’s dorm rooms flash through her mind. She and Costia used to waste hours playing video games in their room. It’s half the reason they became friends in the first place. </p>
<p>Maybe this is supposed to be an olive branch? Sorry I ruined your life, but at least you can get early access to new video games? Whatever the reasoning, Clarke decides that a trip down video game memory lane will, at the very least, keep her occupied until the sex marathon is over, and she can safely sleep without the need for earplugs. </p>
<p>She double clicks the file and waits for it to launch. </p>
<p>A popup with “Security Required” takes up her screen. Given it’s an early release of a game, it seems reasonable. </p>
<p>The sentence “What was our old dorm room number?” slowly types out before her eyes. </p>
<p>Clarke types “307” into the box. </p>
<p>“PASSWORD ACCEPTED. Begin download.” Flashes across the screen</p>
<p>What follows is not at all what should happen when a game is downloaded. The screen begins to flash with images. Ten images per second. Way too fast for Clarke to get a good look at any of them. She sees photos, documents, names, nonsense words that might be mission titles, military movements and bases, weapons designs. Flash. Flash. Flash. The images change so rapidly it’s almost like staring at a strobe light. Clarke briefly thinks that maybe this is a new CIA-themed game. </p>
<p>The stream of images continues, and Clarke can’t seem to blink. Files upon files flash on the screen. Heat seeking bullet. White nationalist terrorists. Cuban missile crisis. Trump’s tax information. Russian intelligence operatives. More documents. Blueprints. Prototypes. Even though she doesn’t have time to absorb any of the information she’s seeing—it’s all changing too quickly to read or process– Clarke knows this isn’t something she should be seeing. Her eyes begin to water.  After 90 full seconds, the constant stream of images stops, and her screen goes blank. </p>
<p>DOWNLOAD COMPLETE scrolls past her monitor, followed by a quick zapping noise from inside the hard drive. A thin wisp of white smoke begins to rise out of her computer. </p>
<p>Clarke continues to stare blankly at the screen for a second or two, then promptly falls to the ground with a thud.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Clarke Vs. The Hot Customer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Meanwhile in DC, CIA Agent Lexa Woods and NSA Agent Anya Forrest sit across the desk with Homeland Security General Indra Beckman.  </p><p>Beckman starts, “Last night at 18:00, CIA operative Costia Daniels was killed in action. Before her death, she sent the entire Intersect Project to a civilian, a top-secret mission known only among those with the highest clearance in the CIA. The project consisted of every CIA mission and intel since the CIA’s founding in 1947. All contained in a supercomputer. The goal was for the intel to be downloaded into the human brain. While it has yet to be tested, it would give the agency’s top agents every piece of information necessary to complete their missions, without having to read every file, look through every photo, and analyze every document. This project is now in the inbox of one Clarke Griffin. As I’m sure you can guess, this is not ideal. The recipient’s unsecured g-mail means that every terrorist and their mother can track who it went to. And they will go after them without hesitation in order to get their hands on our intelligence.”</p><p>“Why did she send it to a civilian instead of a CIA contact?” Anya asks.</p><p>“We don’t know. As far as we can tell, she’s just some random college dropout. She works at a Buy-More. Your job is to find Clarke Griffin, find out what she knows, and download the e-mail yourselves so our nation’s secrets are not floating around in the head of some idiot civilian.”</p><p>—————————————————————————–</p><p>Clarke wakes up on her bedroom floor to the blaring alarm on her nightstand. She’s groggy, and doesn’t quite remember why she apparently passed out on the floor instead of changing into pajamas and climbing into her bed.</p><p>Slowly, the memories of last night trickle in. She remembers a hot pocket, going to her room to play video games, and… an e-mail from Costia? That can’t be right. They haven’t spoken in years… But she distinctly remembers getting an e-mail from her, then a bunch of weird pictures, and that’s it.</p><p>She goes over to her computer to try and reread the email, but the thing won’t turn on. It seems to be fried from the inside. “Great, so not only did Costia ruin my life, she sent me a computer virus that destroyed my computer?” Clarke wonders.</p><p>Clarke’s still a little woozy from the unending strobe light of incomprehensible images her brain was exposed to the night before, so she skips breakfast, and thanks her past self for not even changing out of her work clothes so she can just walk right out the door and head to the Buy-More.</p><p>Raven is sitting at the Nerd Herd help desk waiting for her.</p><p>“You never logged on to LoL last night,” Raven complains.</p><p>“Yeah, I got a weird e-mail from Costia and it torpedoed my computer.”</p><p>“I’m sorry what? Costia? Costia Daniels? The one that ruined your life and got you stuck working at a Buy-More with me?”</p><p>“The one and only.”</p><p>“What did she want?”</p><p>“I don’t know. It was a weird e-mail. It spazzed through a bunch of images and then fried my hard drive.”</p><p>“What a bitch.”</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>It’s a slow day at the Buy-More so Raven and Clarke spend most of the day chit chatting about nothing, planning their next video game all-nighter, and talking about starting their own electronics company to beat out the Buy-More. It’s an idea they’ve talked about for years, but is nothing more than a pipe dream. Neither of them have the capital to get that thing off the ground. No matter how many engineering degrees Raven collects. Eventually they fall into a game of “Guess what that customer is thinking.”</p><p>“I am going to hoard this for when the nuclear apocalypse hits us and toilet paper is scarce,” Raven says about the guy with 100 rolls of toilet paper and nothing else in his cart.</p><p>“I need a copy of Die Hard for every TV in my house,” Clarke gruffs about the old many with 8 copies of Die Hard in his basket.</p><p>The two are so enthralled in their game that they hardly notice a customer approach the help desk.</p><p>In a high-pitched valley girl voice, Clarke says, “I’m getting this video camera so I can finally make a sex tape with my boyfriend!”</p><p>Raven laughs way harder than Clarke thinks the joke earned, but then the customer clears her throat and Clarke whirls around. The customer raises her eyebrows in surprise.</p><p>“Um… I… did you? That wasn’t… Hi, welcome to the Nerd Herd. How can I help you?”</p><p>Clarke chokes on her tongue a little when she realizes just how beautiful the customer is. She’s wearing tight fitting jeans, a tank top, and an unbuttoned flannel over her shirt. Clarke’s gaydar lightly pings in the back of her mind. Her hair is a mane of curly brown locks. She has a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head, and the greenest eyes Clarke has ever seen. When her gaze flicks back up to make eye contact, there’s something… intense about the way this girl looks at her.</p><p>“I’ve been having phone troubles. It doesn’t seem to be receiving calls.”</p><p>“Can I have a name for the intake form?”</p><p>“Lexa.”</p><p>“Well Lexa, I’ll see what I can do.”</p><p>Clarke fiddles around with the phone, looking for external damage or immediately obvious reasons for malfunction. When she finds nothing evident, she tells Lexa, “It must be something internal, I’ll take it to the back and see what’s going on. Come back in about an hour, and it should be all set.”</p><p>“That sounds perfect. Thank you…” Lexa pauses waiting for a name</p><p>“Clarke.”</p><p>“Thank you, Clarke. I’ll see you in an hour.”</p><p>As Lexa turns to walk away, Clarke stares at her ass and says a quiet, “Bye Lexa.”</p><p>“HEY CLARKE! You telling this customer goodbye or are you announcing that you’re bi?” Raven says a little too loudly for it to not be intentional.</p><p>Lexa turns to flash a smile at Clarke, and Clarke turns to Raven and says, “Reyes, I will kill you in your sleep.”</p><p>An hour spent tinkering in the repair shop, and the phone is back to fully functional. Clarke waits at the help desk for Lexa to return. This time she ensures that she’s not mid-game so she doesn’t embarrass herself a second time in front of this customer. She most certainly notices when Lexa walks into the store. This time, the flannel is tied around her waist and Clarke stares at the tattoo curling around her bicep. Then she stares at the biceps themselves and considers tracing the lines with her tongue. Scolding herself for being just as big of a perv as fellow Nerd Herders Jasper and Monty, she smiles and pointedly does not stray from making eye contact. Lexa is less successful as she sneaks a peek down Clarke’s shirt that may have one or two fewer buttons done up this time around.</p><p>“What’s the verdict doc?” Lexa asks, leaning into Clarke’s space at the counter.</p><p>“All fixed,” Clarke smiles.</p><p>“How do I know it works?”</p><p>Clarke grins, “Aha, watch this.”</p><p>She digs her own phone out of her pocket and dials a number. She waits a few seconds until the phone in Lexa’s hand starts to vibrate and “NERD HERD HOTTIE” pops up on the screen.  </p><p>“See? Good as new”</p><p>“Thank you, Clarke. I really appreciate it,” Lexa says, and turns to leave the store. Clarke’s bubble of hope pops as she watches her walk away. But then, after a few steps, Lexa picks up her phone, scrolls through a screen and lifts the phone to her ear.</p><p>A few feet behind her, Clarke’s phone buzzes on the counter. She answers.</p><p>“Do you want to get dinner tonight?” Lexa asks.</p><p>——————————————————————————</p><p>They agree to meet at Grounders at 7:00. Lexa arrives 15 minutes early and waits at the entrance. She’s wearing a green button up, tight grey pants, and her hair is done up in a neat braid. She has a stun gun tucked into her jacket, a knife hidden in each boot, and a blade laced within the braid. But this is supposed to look like a first date, not a mission, so she tries to make herself look nervous by shifting her weight from one leg to the other, and gets ready to flirt some information out of her mark.</p><p>Clarke steps out of an Uber at 7:06 wearing a light blue sundress that makes her look even more like a ray of sunshine. It’s a stark contrast from the unisex Nerd Herd uniform, and Lexa can’t help but give her a once over. Twice maybe thrice if she’s being completely honest.</p><p>“I thought you might have changed your mind,” Lexa confesses, looking at her watch.</p><p>“Of course not! Just bad LA traffic,” Clarke replies and leads them into the restaurant.</p><p>Conversation is easy. They make each other laugh. The waitress comes over three times in 45 minutes before either of them have even glanced at the menu. Lexa assures the waitress that they do, in fact, know how to read, and a few minutes later they actually order their food. Neither can stop themselves from long looks and bashful smiles. Clarke learns that Lexa just moved to town and is still looking for the right fit job. They talk about their childhoods and interests. Eventually, they stumble on the topic of whether or not it’s weird that Lexa asked out her phone repair woman. Clarke immediately reddens at the memory of the first words Lexa heard her say. Clarke apologizes for her having to overhear the game she plays with Raven at the Buy-More.</p><p>“Speaking of which, how does a girl as beautiful and smart as you end up working for the Nerd Herd?” Lexa asks incredulously.</p><p>“That’s kind of a long story. The spark notes version is that I am one semester shy of a computer science degree at Stanford. My senior year, my former best friend and roommate Costia framed me for cheating and got me kicked out of school. No explanation. Since then I haven’t really had the drive to finish the degree. Or trust anyone. I’ve really just been surviving ever since. No sense in living when everything you loved is gone, right? Sorry, that was probably a little heavy for a first date…”</p><p>“No, no, it’s fine,” Lexa assures. The name Costia did not go unnoticed, so Lexa presses on, “What ever happened to that Costia girl?”</p><p>“The funny thing is I haven’t really thought about her in a few years, but the last two days it’s been at nagging in my mind. I actually got an e-mail from her yesterday, but all it contained was a virus that fried my computer,” Clarke shrugs.</p><p>The waiter interrupts to fill their wine glasses, and Lexa’s opportunity to press more about this e-mail vanishes as Clarke switches the subject completely, and they fall back into easy conversation, longing and somewhat thirsty looks, and grinning at each other.</p><p>Lexa pays their check while Clarke runs to the bathroom, and they have decided that 3 hours taking up this restaurant’s table is probably long enough. Yes, it’s a mission, but Lexa is genuinely enjoying talking to this girl. She’s sweet and funny, and looks damn good in that dress.</p><p>“Can I drive you home?” Lexa asks.</p><p>The drive is a comfortable silence. Lexa’s hand rests on Clarke’s knee and mindlessly draws patterns on her thigh until Clarke intertwines their fingers. The drive ends too quickly as they pull up to the complex where Clarke lives.</p><p>Lexa walks Clarke to her door. Clarke’s walk slows to a crawl, trying to prolong her time with Lexa as much as possible. But the trip from the car to the stoop is only so long, so she settles for pretending to struggle to find her keys. God she wants to kiss her. She wants to kiss her so badly she hasn’t listened to a word Lexa has said because she can’t think about anything else. Lexa pauses in front of the door, and shuffles a bit closer to Clarke.</p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke”, she says as she leans in. Clarke closes her eyes in anticipation, and then feels Lexa’s lips land just left of the mark. Lexa places a chaste kiss on the corner of Clarke’s mouth, then turns to walk away. She turns back with a wink and a wave as Clarke unlocks her front door, and melts to a puddle once she’s crossed the threshold.</p><p>—————————————————————————-</p><p>Lexa paces outside the front of the Buy-More while on the phone with the General. “Beckman, she’s just a normal girl. She hasn’t done anything wrong. I don’t even think the e-mail made it to her. She said she hasn’t heard from Costia since college!”</p><p>“Agent Woods, Daniels was one of our top agents. There must be a reason she sent it to her. Now, go find out if she’s just a really good liar, or if she’s actually as innocent as you seem to think.” She hangs up without a greeting or dismissal.</p><p>Lexa tries to shake off the conversation, and walks through the Buy-More doors to go find Clarke, who at the moment is helping someone pick out a blender. Lexa pretends to be interested in a video camera and presses random buttons while waiting for Clarke to be free.</p><p>“Looking at cameras for our sex tape?” Clarke asks with a cheeky grin.</p><p>Lexa rolls her eyes and replies, “No, I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to say hi. I had fun last night.”</p><p>Clarke lights up with a goofy grin and thinks about how she didn’t kiss her last night. Clarke eyes her lips, and catches Lexa doing the same. She does a quick scan of the floor, hoping to confirm that no manager is there to catch her making out with a girl while on the clock. She’s made it almost a full 360 when it happens.</p><p>She sees a man standing in the DVD section. He doesn’t look that much different than a normal customer, but once she sees the scar on his neck, images flash before her eyes. The scar. The man’s name, and seven different aliases. A Russian Prison manifest. A rank within Russian Intelligence operations. They flash before her eyes in rapid succession, pulling the information to the forefront of her brain, and making her a little dizzy with the completely unconscious recall of information she doesn’t remember learning in the first place. The images stop and her eyes refocus</p><p>“Lexa, this is going to sound crazy, but that man in the DVDs section is a Russian spy and he</p><p>is armed to kill. Don’t ask me how I know that, I just do.”</p><p> Clarke watches Lexa’s eyes widen in alarm. “Holy shit, you downloaded it.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The Intersect.”</p><p>“The what?”</p><p>“I have to get you out of here.”</p><p>Lexa grabs Clarke’s hand and pulls her towards the back of the store.</p><p>“Lexa, what is going on.”</p><p>She doesn’t answer. Instead she goes into the breakroom, punches a series of numbers into the vending machine, and watches the machine slide to the right to reveal a passageway. Lexa pulls Clarke through, ignoring her questions and utter shock at what is going on. Clarke is led down some stairs into a conference room with screens taking up a full wall, a wall full of weapons, and a video conference call happening at the table in the center. An angry looking Asian woman sits at the table talking to the screen with a black woman with more medals on her military coat than Clarke knew existed. </p><p>Lexa interrupts their conversation with, “She’s the Intersect.”</p><p>“She what?”</p><p>“She’s the Intersect. She downloaded it. She just recognized a Russian operative upstairs.”</p><p>The other women in the room and on the screen look shocked and horrified.</p><p>“So it works?” the woman on the screen asks.</p><p>“WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON. WHERE AM I? WHAT IS THE INTERSECT? WHY IS THERE A SECRET BASE IN THE BUY-MORE? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?” Clarke yells, finally getting Lexa’s attention.</p><p>Lexa starts, “My name is Lexa Woods. I work for the CIA.”</p><p>“Anya Forrest, Colonel in the NSA.”</p><p>“And I’m General Indra Beckman, head of Homeland Security”</p><p>Clarke begins to laugh hysterically. “Did Raven put you up to this? She always goes WAY TOO BIG or way too small for pranks. Jeezus how much did she spend on this?!” She wanders the base touching weapons, poking screens, and searching for a hidden camera.</p><p>“This isn’t a joke, Miss Griffin,” Beckman interrupts.</p><p>The tone sobers Clarke immediately.</p><p>Beckman continues, “Three days ago, CIA operative Costia Daniels sent you an email. That email contained every secret the CIA has in what was called the Intersect Project. That information is now in your head. Until a new Intersect can be built, the CIA and NSA’s number one priority will be protecting you.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, what now?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“You will assist in missions as needed.”</p><p>Clarke is, again, much too stunned to grasp anything that was just said. Instead, she asks every question that has run through her mind since she thought she was about to kiss Lexa at work to the current moment. Costia was CIA? Why did she send it to me? How does it work? Can I get it removed? You’re sure this isn’t an over the top prank? Costia is dead?</p><p>Lexa, Anya, and Beckman patiently answer every question Clarke has. For the most part, they are very understanding of the barrage of questions. The questions continue for about thirty minutes, but eventually die down. This is real. Clarke will be working with the CIA. Other countries will try to find the Intersect, so she is in danger. She is now their most important asset, and they will protect her at all costs. She doesn’t really have a choice in this.</p><p>“I didn’t ask for this,” Clarke states.</p><p>“We know, but your country is calling,” Beckman answers.</p><p>General Beckman hangs up the call, Anya goes back to cleaning an enormous gun, Lexa starts to organize files, and Clarke… Clarke sits at the table staring at her hands. Deep in thought, and too stunned to form coherent thoughts. After ten minutes, she takes a deep breath and addresses Lexa.</p><p>“So that date then?”</p><p>Lexa reads the implied question and answers, “Was part of my mission to find out what you knew.”</p><p>“Ah.”</p><p>“Clarke.”</p><p>“I don’t know why I thought it was anything else. No one that model hot dates a girl from the Nerd Herd. Is that like a requirement for spy work?”</p><p>Lexa cocks her head like a confused puppy.</p><p>Clarke glances between Anya and Lexa, and waggles her fingers between the two of them. “You know, the mind-blowing hotness? I mean, it works. Girl that looks like you asks me to jump off the roof and I’d probably do it without asking any follow up questions. Of course it was all fake. You’re probably straight. Really deluded myself into this one. Big yikes.”</p><p>Anya looks up from the barrel of her gun and chuffs, “Definitely not straight”</p><p>Lexa blushes but doesn’t disagree with Anya. Instead she addresses Clarke directly. “You do realize that we will need to continue dating, right?”</p><p>Clarke continues rambling to herself about being an idiot for thinking a girl like Lexa was into her, but then the content of Lexa’s question sinks in. Her brain jolts like a record scratch. “Huh?”</p><p>“It’s the perfect cover for why I’m suddenly in your life and may suddenly vanish from it. I can keep a close eye on you when you’re not at work, and it won’t seem suspicious if I stay over. During the day, Anya will work at the Buy More with you.”</p><p>Clarke still hasn’t wrapped her head around “continue dating” so instead asks, “I’m dead, right? That Russian operative in DVDs killed me and I’m bleeding out on the Buy-More floor, right? Because there is no way the US government just asked me to fake date a bombshell agent for the safety of our country.”</p><p>Anya finishes reassembling her gun, looks up at the newly christened fake couple, and says, “Believe it, babe.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Clarke Vs. The Van</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The van smells like a mix of stale air and Chinese food. Clarke shifts uncomfortably in her seat as she stares as the various displays in the back of the van.</p><p>Clarke had imagined that her first CIA mission would be a bit more glamorous than egg rolls and watching the most boring reality television on the planet. Earlier that day, when Beckman briefed them for the mission, she thought she’d have more to do. According to Beckman, an arms dealer is attempting to sell a bioweapon on the black market. Lexa is currently under cover as the buyer. Anya is there as backup, although to the unknowing eye, she’s just a bartender. The meet was set up through a dark web chatroom, but neither Lexa nor Anya know what the seller looks like. This is where Clarke comes in. However, Clarke’s assignment is significantly less exciting that she was hoping. Clarke stays in the van and watches the screen. Her job is to flash when the buyer enters the bar. Lexa will ensure that the weapon gets to CIA custody, and Anya will be there in case anything goes wrong. Everyone has an earpiece so they can communicate.</p><p>“I don’t understand why I can’t be in the building to recognize this guy,” Clarke complains.</p><p>“Because you have no tactical training, and we don’t trust you not to die,” Anya quips back.</p><p>Clarke helps tap into the bar’s security feed so she has a view of most of the bar. Lexa has an additional pin camera on the strap of her tank top. Her hair has been straightened, and the wing-tipped eyeliner would have you guessing she’s there for a photoshoot rather than a top-secret world-saving mission. She’s way too hot to be inconspicuous, but she’s also too hot for anyone to suspect she’s actually CIA.</p><p>Clarke continues to scan both feeds for anyone that might make her flash.</p><p>She watches Anya bring Lexa a martini and can’t stop herself from tapping into coms and saying, “Her name is Woods. Lexa Woods. And she likes her martinis shaken not stirred.”</p><p>Lexa laughs and Clarke beams at her success. Clarke adds, “I didn’t think martinis were actually a thing spies did.”</p><p>“Might I remind you that we are on a mission and looking like a lunatic laughing to yourself at the bar is only going to make you look more suspicious,” Anya adds to their conversation.</p><p>Clarke had forgotten she was there and quickly apologizes for getting Lexa in trouble. She watches Lexa shrug through the feed, and then dig the olive out of her martini and place it on the napkin beside it.</p><p>For the third time in the last thirty minutes, a decent looking stranger comes up to flirt with Lexa, and Clarke seethes. Not realizing her mic was still on, she growls.</p><p>“Easy, Tiger. She’s not your real girlfriend,” Anya butts in. Clarke keeps forgetting she’s there.</p><p>Lexa politely dismisses the come-on, telling the man that she’s actually waiting for someone.</p><p>When a fourth person comes up, Clarke is tempted to just turn off the feed because this is torture.</p><p>“Is this seat taken or would you rather just sit on my face,” some smarmy mountain-looking man says getting inches from her face. The man is easily six and a half feet tall. He’s bulky in a way that would indicate he’s spent more time in a gym than anywhere else in the world.</p><p>“Ew, what the fuck. That doesn’t even make any sense!” Clarke complains from the van.</p><p>The man takes the seat without waiting for Lexa to answer, rolls up his sleeves, and demands whiskey, neat from Anya.</p><p>Through the video feed, Clarke notices a tiger tattoo on his left forearm, and her vision goes blurry. Images begin flashing through her mind. The tiger tattoo. His prison cell roommate. HG Well’s The Stolen Bacillus. The genetic code for a hybrid bacterium. And lastly, an article about a disgraced pharmacist turned bioweapon dealer.</p><p>“That’s him, that’s our guy,” Clarke yells into the mic, effectively blowing out both Lexa and Anya’s eardrums.</p><p>“You sure about this, Blondie? Just because he’s hitting on your girl doesn’t mean he’s a terrorist,” Anya whispers under her breath.</p><p>Clarke scowls. “Yes, I flashed. Mention the tattoo. It’s how we agreed to recognize him in the darkweb chatroom.”</p><p>Lexa has to play this calmly so he doesn’t spook. “So, you’re the tiger I’ve been waiting for,” Lexa says scooting closer to him with a seductive look in her eyes.</p><p>“Tell me about yourself,” he replies.</p><p>“I’m just a girl, looking for a little excitement,” Lexa says fluttering her eyelashes. Clarke’s stomach turns at how easily Lexa can play a mark. How easily she can make it seem like she’s genuinely interested in some scumbag. How familiar some of the flirtatious movement feel to her own date with Lexa. And something in Clarke’s chest begins to ache.</p><p>“Why don’t we take this some place… a little more private,” Lexa continues, grabbing the man’s hand, and leading him back towards the kitchen.</p><p>Once in the privacy of the kitchen, Lexa smirks. “Show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.”</p><p>Entirely too eager to please, the man fishes through his jacket pocket for a single black vial with a biohazard sticker on it. In one swift movement, Lexa grabs the vial, twists the man’s arm behind his back, shoves a knee into his spine, and pins him to the ground. Anya enters the room for back-up, but Lexa has the man easily contained.</p><p>“Sir, you’re being detained by the US government for the illegal trade of bioweaponry,” Anya adds.</p><p>The man is picked up by a CIA handler via helicopter, and Team Intersect is free to go home.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------<br/>It’s nearly midnight on a Wednesday night, and Clarke tries to sneak back into her apartment unnoticed. Her plan fails when she realizes that Octavia has been waiting up for her.</p><p>“Soooo, how was your date?” Octavia teases.</p><p>“It was good. Pretty standard,” Clarke lies.</p><p>“That’s four nights this week. You must really like this girl.”</p><p>“Yeah she’s… impressively wonderful,” Clarke says with a smile, thinking about her taking down an armed weapons dealer three times her size as if it were nothing less than an hour ago.</p><p>“You know what this means, right?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“We have to meet her. Bring her over for dinner this Friday. I want to meet the girl who has made you smile more than I’ve seen since Stanford,” Octavia sing-songs.</p><p>Octavia heads to her own bedroom, silencing Clarke’s attempt at a protest with a shush and a quick tune of “This is non-negotiable!”<br/>-------------------------------------------</p><p>Lexa arrives promptly at 7:00PM. She’s dressed casually, with her hair in a neat fishtail braid.  She brings a bottle of wine, and reassures Clarke that they are only lying to Octavia and Lincoln for their own safety. If they knew that Clarke was working with the CIA and had the intersect, they’d have to uproot their entire lives and be put in witness protection.</p><p>“We’ve been dying to meet you. Someone who makes Clarke smile this much is a definite keeper in my book,” Octavia says when she greets Lexa at the door.</p><p>“More impressively, you’ve gotten her to get out of the house for more than just work!” Lincoln adds.</p><p>“Hey I leave the house!” Clarke protests.</p><p>“Video game shopping with Raven does not count,” Octavia rebuts.</p><p>Clarke pouts and Lexa leans over to press a kiss to her temple as if this was something she’s done many times before. As if this weren’t a fake relationship. As if Lexa thought Clarke’s pout was cute and the kiss was her way of saying “Don’t worry I’m on your side.” It makes their cover really easy to believe. It makes Clarke even more confused.</p><p>Octavia puts the finishing touches on dinner, and the four of them have a seat at the table.</p><p>“What do you do?” Octavia asks.</p><p>Lexa rattles off an answer about working in a bio research lab doing vaccine development. She adds a backstory of originally wanting to go into medicine but realizing she didn’t have the stomach for it.</p><p>Clarke’s stomach twists at the ease with which Lexa can lie to make up a backstory. She realizes it’s a different story than she heard on their date. Different from the one she heard in the bar in last night’s mission. But this must be the cover position that the CIA picked out for her. It’s something that allows for flexible hours, an ability to work from home, and matches Lexa’s intellectual level. Clarke is still somewhat upset that this is the first she has heard of it.</p><p>As they eat their salads, Clarke notices that Lexa picks out the olives in her salad. She watches her place them in a neat pile on the side of her plate.</p><p>Octavia tells a few embarrassing young Clarke stories that make Clarke bury her head in her hands. But Lexa keeps looking over with a big grin, and scrunches up her nose with a smile to say, “So she’s always been a troublemaker.”</p><p>“You know what? I don’t think I like you two being friends,” Clarke huffs in offense.<br/>Clarke continues to take full offense to the teasing onslaught until Lexa grabs her hand and intertwines their fingers in apology. She squeezes whenever Octavia tells her something that she finds cute.</p><p>For dessert, Lincoln prepares molten lava cakes, Clarke’s personal favorite. For whatever reason, she’s never successfully eaten one without ending up with at least some chocolate on her face.</p><p>At the end of the meal, Lexa says, “Babe, you’ve got some chocolate…” then just decides to swipe it away with her own thumb, brushing against Clarke’s lips.</p><p>Clarke’s heart skipped a beat at the term babe, and as Lexa’s thumb brushes her lips, her eyes darken, and she turns away as if she’d been burned.</p><p>The remainder of the evening consists of idle chit chat as everything winds down. Lincoln has an early shift at the hospital the following day, so excuses himself to bed. Clarke offers to walk Lexa to her car.</p><p>Lexa agrees until they’re actually outside when she says, “It’s okay Clarke, you don’t have to walk your fake girlfriend to her car.”</p><p>The reminder that this is all fake stings. Lexa fits so nicely with Lincoln and Octavia. She really hopes this isn’t entirely an act. Instead of being honest, she deflects with “I have a reputation to protect, Woods.”</p><p>“Oh, a reputation?”</p><p>“Mhm. Clarke Griffin is a gentlewoman,” Clarke grins. “And also just dynamite in bed, which you have the misfortune of missing out on.”</p><p>Lexa laughs and Clarke revels at the sound of it.</p><p>“Drive safe, Lexa.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Clarke.”</p><p>When Clarke gets back to the apartment, Octavia assaults her with compliments. “Clarke, she’s wonderful!”</p><p>“She is, isn’t she?” Clarke says dreamily.</p><p>“Don’t lose this one Clarke. She’s a keeper,” Lincoln adds from the bathroom. The words are muffled from the toothbrush in his mouth.</p><p>Clarke thinks about how it’s only a matter of time before she loses this fake relationship to another mission.</p><p>But then Octavia continues. “She likes you Clarke. She looks at you like you’re the only thing in the room.”</p><p>Clarke smiles, and for just a moment, lets herself believe that maybe, just maybe, Lexa isn’t entirely acting.<br/>--------------------------------------------<br/>The next night, Clarke ends up in the van again. This time Clarke isn’t the only one stuck in the van. They are waiting for another CIA agent to show up, and make a drop of files for them to take back to the secret base beneath the Buy-More. For security purposes, the CIA doesn’t have a photo record of the agent anywhere but the Intersect. Clarke and Lexa have been assigned to wait at the drop site until Clarke flashes, and they can grab the briefcase of files.</p><p>Lexa and Clarke split a veggie pizza while they wait in the car. Clarke watches Lexa fish the olives off of her slices.</p><p>Clarke is about to ask, but is interrupted by a knock on the van window.</p><p>“Neighborhood watch. Would you mind telling me why exactly you have been parked in front of my house for the last 45 minutes?” the man asks.</p><p>“Good evening sir. We’re with AT&amp;T, and are doing some testing for the new 5G network being installed in this neighborhood. Just routine stuff,” Lexa replies.</p><p>“Oh. Sorry to disturb you then,” he says and walks away</p><p>While the stranger may have been content with Lexa’s answer, Clarke’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the lie. They hadn’t discussed a cover for the night because they didn’t anticipate such an active neighborhood watch. Lexa just made that up in the milliseconds she had between him asking the question and the time waiting for an answer.</p><p>Before she has much time to dwell on it, she sees a man with a briefcase walk over and have a seat on a bench. Clarke’s vision blurs again before the barrage of images flashes before her eyes. US Military Lieutenant. Recruited for the CIA in 2012. His family thinks he died in combat. Images of a family. Military dog tags. Mission titles.</p><p>When the images fade, she says, “That’s him.”</p><p>Lexa exits the van, retrieves the package, and climbs back into the van.</p><p>She drops Clarke off at her apartment. She walks Clarke to her door, holding her hand the whole way.</p><p>Clarke tried to sneak in the apartment without being noticed, but Lincoln catches her sneaking to her room.</p><p>“Lexa again?” he asks.</p><p>Clarke nods. Lincoln smiles and says, “O and I were the same way when we first started dating.” <br/>--------------------------------------------<br/>The following afternoon, Clarke lies in bed staring at the ceiling. She thinks about the four different Lexa back stories she’s heard in the last three days, and how quickly Lexa can invent them. She thinks about the ease with which she can flirt with a stranger so they perceive it as genuine interest. It has been eating away at her. She’s fake dating this girl, she has real feelings for her, but isn’t sure if anything she knows about her is real or not.</p><p>Clarke finally gets up the nerve to go confront her about it. She picks up a veggie pizza and drives over to Lexa’s apartment. She knocks on Lexa’s door. Lexa answers holding a gun.</p><p>“Whoa. It’s just me,” Clarke says, holding her hands and the pizza in the air.</p><p>“What are you doing here, Clarke? We don’t have a mission tonight. We have the night off. Is everything okay?”</p><p>Suddenly self-conscious, Clarke says, “No. I mean, yes, but not really. You met my friends as my girlfriend yesterday. I know this is fake, but it was a big deal for me. Or at least it would be if this was real. You now know intimately embarrassing details about my childhood, and it seems a little unfair that the only thing I know about you is that you don’t like olives. And you didn’t even tell me that, I just watched you fish them out of your martini, salad, and pizza, and made a guess. We’ve been on missions almost every day this week, and I still know almost nothing about you. Every mission has a new fake backstory, so if you’re going to be my girlfriend, I feel like I should know a few things about you. At the very least, it will help sell the cover. So please, I just need something real. Just one real thing about Lexa Woods. I brought pizza. No olives, I promise.”</p><p>Oddly charmed by Clarke’s ramble, Lexa smiles and says, “I hate olives. And a few more facts like that will help the cover. Do you want to come in?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Clarke Vs. The Orchestra</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Learning real things about Lexa did absolutely nothing to assuage Clarke’s growing feelings for her. While they lazed around on the couch and ate oliveless pizza, Clarke learned that when Lexa was seven, she learned to ride a bike on the beach, and on her first attempt without parental guidance, she drove right into a three-foot-wide hole someone had dug. She learned that her favorite color is blue, that she can speak four languages—Clarke had to see this for herself and was absolutely not ready for the wave of arousal that came with Lexa speaking French. She learned that Lexa was a Commander in the Air Force before being recruited by the CIA, and that she has a tattoo on her back that Clarke has fantasized about one too many times for something she hasn’t actually seen. It wasn’t everything, but it was enough.</p><p>Clarke sits on the couch with Octavia, half paying attention to the news, but mostly mulling over the new information she now knows about Lexa. She tries to picture a small Lexa missing her front teeth and proudly riding a two-wheeler. She runs through Captain Marvel scenes in her head, but superimposes Lexa’s face over Carol’s in the cockpit. Her mind once again drifts to the mysterious back tattoo, but is interrupted by a news special.</p><p>We interrupt your programming with this breaking news special. Cuban Diplomat Rafael Perez will be coming to Los Angeles for a special visit. Rafael Perez will be returning to the states for the first time since attending an International Summit in 2019…</p><p>The news flashes a photo of the diplomat’s face, and Clarke’s vision blurs. School transcripts. Summit attendance lists. Rafael’s college girlfriend. Anti-Cuban propaganda. Plans for an attempt on his life. Protests. Election data. </p><p>The news special continues, but Clarke bolts up with a quick “I have to call Lexa.”</p><p>“Didn’t you see her less than 24 hours ago?” Octavia replies with a smirk.</p><p>She calls Lexa the second she closes her bedroom door.</p><p>“Someone is going to try to kill Rafael Perez when he visits LA this week.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You heard me. I was watching the news, and I flashed when I saw his face on the screen. He’s in danger.”</p><p>“Clarke, it’s 11:47PM, Perez doesn’t even arrive in LA for another few days. Get some rest, we’ll talk to Beckman about it tomorrow.”<br/>
“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yes. Sweet dreams, Clarke.”</p><p>“G’night, Lex.”</p><p>On the other end of the line, Lexa blushes at the use of the abbreviation.  </p><p>----------------------</p><p>Lexa was right. Beckman has deemed this as a low enough priority that they are to report to work as normal during the day and will be briefed on how to best protect the Cuban Ambassador at an 1800 meeting.</p><p>It’s a fairly slow day at the Nerd Herd desk. Clarke fixes two computers, shows a few old people how to turn on their phones, and helps a few customers debate the benefits of PC versus Mac for gaming.</p><p>On the other side of the store, Anya is being trained by none other than Raven Reyes. While Raven talks her ear off about how the assistant manager Bellamy is an uptight weenie, Anya grits her teeth, and tries to imagine the many ways she could kill this girl using the appliances in the store. So far, Anya’s up to 143 different methods.</p><p>“You’re not much of a talker, are you?” Raven asks.</p><p>“No,” Anya grimaces.</p><p>“Ah. The strong silent type. Broody.”</p><p>“Mm,” Anya grunts.</p><p>“Okay we’ve covered the basics. Talk customers up. Sell big appliances, get a commission. Avoid getting stuck at a cashier’s station or you’ll actually have to work for most of your shift. Make sure inventory is accounted for. Pick up large heavy boxes and put them down. Don’t think you’re going to have much of a problem with that one,” Raven says giving Anya’s bicep a playful squeeze.</p><p>Anya adds an 144th way to kill Raven to her list.</p><p>“Now we’re on to the most fun task you’ll have here at the Buy-More: the price gun.” And Raven launches into a tutorial about how to use it, followed by a story when she accidentally marked a $4,000 computer as $40.00 and they had to honor that price. “Whoops,” she laughs with a shrug.</p><p>Anya never answers with more than a grunt or a simple yes or no.</p><p>By the time their shift is over, Anya nearly sprints to punch out her timecard, then heads to the secret base beneath the Buy-More for the briefing.</p><p>Clarke heads to the breakroom to gather her stuff from her locker, then sneak down to the base as well.</p><p>“Clarke! I’m in love!” Raven sings as she starts pulling off anything with a Buy More logo off of her body.</p><p>“How? With who?”</p><p>“The new tall drink of water that I spent the day training today. Anya, I think.”</p><p>Clarke internally balks at the idea of her best friend dating an NSA agent. Specifically, that NSA agent who Clarke is half convinced is more robot than human.</p><p>“Really? Why her? I don’t think I saw her do anything but scowl all day.”</p><p>“Exactly. She’s broody and sexy, and her arms are so muscled, I’m pretty sure I could climb her like a tree, and she wouldn’t even notice”</p><p>“Okay, Casanova. Maybe see if you can get a few words out of her before getting down on one knee?”</p><p>“Or you could come over tonight, and help me plan my proposal? And by that, I mean eat pizza and play video games?” Raven asks.</p><p>“Can’t tonight. I have plans with Lexa,” Clarke replies. It’s technically not a lie. She does have plans with Lexa. They just so happen to be a debrief about how to save an international diplomat’s life instead of a romantic dinner.</p><p>“Clarke, you’re always crushing my dreams. First my future baby mama and now this.”</p><p>“Sorry Ray. I’ll make it up to you!”</p><p>----------------------</p><p>“Woods, I’m going to murder her.”</p><p>“Anya, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a cover job.”</p><p>“Says you! You get to work at a biotech company sort of doing real research! I am restocking appliance shelves and being trained by a perpetual 13-year-old.”</p><p>“No, you are keeping an eye on the US government’s most important asset,” Lexa replies.</p><p>“Woods. She spent THIRTY MINUTES explaining how a price gun worked to me. I am one of the most decorated snipers in NSA. I think I can handle a price gun!” Anya complains.</p><p>Clarke hops down the last few steps into the base and joins Anya and Lexa at the conference room table. “Did I miss anything?” she asks.</p><p>The screen at the end of the table had just changed from 17:59 to 18:00 then immediately Indra Beckman’s face appeared.</p><p>Beckman opens, “Rafael Perez is an ally of the United States government. For this reason, the rebels in his country are not too fond of him. However, were he to die on American soil, under ambiguous enough circumstances, the rebel cause could drive the US and Cuba into an all-out war.”</p><p>Clarke gulps, not a fan of the tenuous relationships between the US and the rest of the world.</p><p>“Perez will be attending meetings at the embassy throughout his stay. They embassy is the most secure location, so it is unlikely that at attempt on his life will be made there. He does, however, have tickets to the Los Angeles Symphony on Wednesday evening. It is most likely that his attackers will strike there. The three of you will attend the symphony with him.” </p><p>“Wha- Three? I thought I was a van-only kind of asset,” Clarke interrupts.</p><p>“Unlike sleazy bars, the upper echelon of society does not allow video surveillance at all angles. To identify his potential assailants, you will need to be in the building. Plus, he’s got a thing for blondes.”</p><p>Lexa’s grip on her pencil tightens.</p><p>“Agents Forrest and Woods will be attending as Perez’s embassy body guards. Ms. Griffin, you will be his date.”</p><p>Clarke’s eyebrows jump in surprise. Lexa’s pencil snaps.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Lexa has an evening gown sent to Clarke’s apartment for Wednesday night. Clarke’s not quite sure how she knew what her measurements were—maybe she’s been paying more attention to Clarke’s body than she thought—but the dress fits like a glove. It’s a shimmery silver dress with a lowcut neckline that accentuates her curves, but is still modest enough for a high-brow event like the symphony.</p><p>“Hot damn, Clarke,” Octavia says, walking into Clarke’s room unannounced.</p><p>“Lexa and I are going to the symphony.”<br/>
“Fancy shmancy. I already knew that though. She’s waiting for you at the front door.”</p><p>Clarke slips on her heels and goes to meet Lexa. Instead of a similar gown, Lexa is wearing a tailored black suit, with a black tie to match.</p><p>“Clarke… you look…” Lexa can’t even finish the sentence. She’s too busy looking Clarke up and down in the dress.</p><p>Clarke fairs no better and chokes on her tongue when she sees Lexa in a suit.</p><p>“You too,” she says smoothing out imaginary lines in Lexa’s lapels and tie. She adds an extra cheek kiss for good measure.</p><p>She loops her arm into Lexa’s as they walk to what Clarke assumes will be Lexa’s car. Instead, she’s escorted to a stretch limousine.</p><p>“Lexa, you didn’t have to!”</p><p>“I didn’t. It’s for the ambassador, remember?”</p><p>“Right, him.” Clarke shakes off her temporary blinders about who she is, why she’s here, and what her relationship with Lexa truly is.</p><p>Lexa opens the door for her, and she slides in. Lexa then takes her spot in the passenger’s seat next to Anya, as they prepare to pick up a diplomat.</p><p>Perez is waiting out front for his ride. Lexa opens his door for him, and he slides in next to Clarke, greeting her with a charming smile.</p><p>Once Lexa has returned to the front seat, Rafael and Clarke begin to talk. It’s playful flirting and banter and completely harmless, but Lexa’s blood begins to boil. When he starts tracing patterns on Clarke’s bare arm, and whispering Pablo Neruda in her ear, Anya has to punch Lexa in the arm to get her attention.</p><p>“Calm down, Woods. The asset is completely safe. It’s him we’re supposed to be worried about tonight,” Anya adds.</p><p>“He’s just awfully close to removing her earpiece with his tongue, and I don’t want to compromise the mission,” Lexa lies.</p><p>Anya grunts in response.</p><p>By the time Perez insists that Clarke call him Rafael, Lexa has subtly removed her earpiece for the remainder of the drive.</p><p>The attention is welcome to Clarke. She enjoys the meaningless flirts and touches, and for a moment allows herself to enjoy feeling wanted. The ride is only twenty minutes, and Lexa opens the limo door for them both once again.</p><p>Clarke smiles at Lexa as she walks by, but Lexa stares forward with a pointedly cold look. She places her earpiece back in her ear, and Clarke realizes that her earpiece and mic had been on during that ride. She gives Lexa a second curious look. Their relationship is fake—why is Lexa seemingly offended by what she heard?</p><p>Rafael and Clarke walk into the theater arm in arm, flanked by Lexa, Anya, and two other Cuban bodyguards who were waiting for their arrival. They head towards their box seats, which are occupied with other American and foreign diplomats.</p><p>Clarke and Rafael get comfortable in their seats, and the lights dim. The orchestra settles in place, but when the first few notes of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata play, Clarke’s vision blurs. C4. Bomb schematics. Rafael Perez’s face. An insignia of a rebel group. The blueprint of the theater and orchestra chamber. The bottom of the chair Perez himself is sitting on.</p><p>When she comes to, she whispers a quick “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” to Rafael.</p><p>She stalks over to Lexa grabs her arm, and drags her into the small hallway.</p><p>“It’s a bomb. Not a shooter. We need to find it and get out of here”</p><p>Lexa grabs Anya’s arm and drags her into the hallway to bring her up to speed. They can’t stop the performance just in case their intel is wrong—it will cause a stampede and put Rafael’s life in even more danger in the chaos of a disorganized evacuation.</p><p>Clarke pretends to lose an earring so they can check under Rafael’s chair, but when they find nothing, they make up a flimsy excuse to leave him with his own guards, and head to the main part of the theater.</p><p>Anya, Lexa, and Clarke clamber through the theater, stepping over patrons, ducking under chairs, and scanning aisles looking for the bomb. Clarke apologizes as she steps on toes and disrupts people’s views of the orchestra.</p><p>They work methodically through the theater, starting at the front and ending in the back. In the back of the theater, underneath the last row of chairs, lies a laptop with a timer that reads 3:04, and wires spread out behind it. The wires follow the intricate patterning of the wall-décor in a manner so impressive that they are almost invisible. The momentary compliment of craftsmanship is completely forgotten when they realize that the wires lead to enough C4 to level the entire block.</p><p>“Clarke, we really need you to flash!”</p><p>“I can’t do it on command. It must not be in the Intersect!”</p><p>“Try harder,” Anya demands, shoving Clarke’s face closer to the bomb.</p><p>“Anya! Let her go. She doesn’t know anything!”</p><p>“Well we can’t cut the wires—it’s too risky with all of these civilians. And there’s not enough time to evacuate and wait for bomb squad.  She either flashes or we all die.”</p><p>Clarke continues to stare at the homemade bomb, willing herself to flash, but nothing happens. Then she looks at the laptop detonator, and a guest lecture from her days at Stanford begins to creep into her consciousness.</p><p>She remembers doodling while the lecturer rambled about forensic computer analysis, and how with the increase in wireless and Bluetooth technologies, defusing bombs has become more of a computer scientist’s game.</p><p>Anya and Lexa continue to bicker about next steps.</p><p>“Wait. I have an idea,” Clarke says, reaching for the keyboard.</p><p>“This isn’t a video game,” Anya says, swatting her hands away from the bomb.</p><p>“We have this model laptop at the Buy More. It has a DOS override,” Clarke says, furiously typing.</p><p>She types “Kassie Skai” into the search tool, and hits download.</p><p>“Porn? Really?” Anya asks.</p><p>Clarke’s tempted to ignore her but explains so Lexa doesn’t think she’s using her last few seconds on Earth to rub one out. “I have to spam the server. It’ll help prevent a signal from getting through to detonate, and if I’m lucky, this virus will fry the computer from the inside out.”</p><p>The counter continues to tick down as hundreds of porn popups flood the screen. The computer audio overflows with moans and sloppy slick noises, and Clarke reddens. The counter continues to countdown, and Clarke squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation of being blown to bits. Then all of a sudden, there’s a zapping noise and the screen goes blank. The three seconds that had been remaining on the timer pass, but the bomb doesn’t go off. Lexa and Anya stare in disbelief.</p><p>“Holy shit, you did it…” Lexa says, unable to take her eyes off of Clarke’s face.</p><p>“I did it! I diffused a real bomb!” Clarke says, completely elated. She jumps into Lexa’s arms in celebration. Lexa gives her a tight squeeze and sets her back on the floor.</p><p>Anya gives them a disapproving look. “Let’s pack this up and get it to Beckman. We’ll escort Mr. Perez back to the embassy after the show is over.”</p><p>----------------------</p><p>As Lexa walks Clarke back to the front stoop of her apartment, she says, “I have to admit, that was pretty impressive”</p><p>“Right?! I know I’m just an asset to you, but between you, me, and Anya, would you have guessed that I was the one that disarmed an active bomb?”</p><p>Lexa laughs, and says, “You are full of surprises. I can only imagine the look on Anya’s face if it hadn’t worked and we’d all spent our last few minutes watching porn together”</p><p>“Yeah, but had you ever seen anything like it?”</p><p>“Yes, Clarke, I’ve seen porn.”</p><p>Clarke coughs, “No! I meant seen someone disarm a bomb like that!” </p><p>“I think it’s safe to say that I’ve never seen anyone quite like you, Clarke”, Lexa says with a smile. </p><p>They share a lingering stare and smile before Lexa bids Clarke goodnight, hops off the front steps to head back to her car. Clarke watches her go with a faint smile still on her lips. </p><p> </p><p>----------------------</p><p>During her lunch break, Clarke sits in the break room munching on a sandwich and doodling cartoon computers on her napkin. A knock on the door startles her, but she looks up to see Lexa in tight black work slacks and a powder blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up her arms.</p><p>“Hey. I thought I’d surprise you on your lunch break,” Lexa says.</p><p>Lexa walks to her, and Clarke swears she’s walking in slow motion. Her hair lightly blowing in wind that shouldn’t exist in such a stuffy windowless room. Lexa leans down to kiss Clarke on the cheek, then takes the chair next to her.</p><p>Clarke happily accepts the fake kiss and whispers, “Hi.”</p><p>Raven lets out a loud retching noise and leaves with, “That was so gay that I’ve lost my appetite.”</p><p>“Whoops. Forgot you were there,” Clarke says with a glare.</p><p>Clarke has just taken a large bite of sandwich, when Lexa says, “Our mission last night got me thinking…Clarke, I think we need to have sex.”</p><p>Clarke spends the next two minutes choking before she can finally get out the word “What?!”</p><p>“For our cover. We’ve been dating a while now, and people will start to question the validity of our cover story if we don’t spend the night”</p><p>“Oh” Clarke feels both relieved and disappointed that’s what Lexa meant.</p><p>“I should head back to the office. That DNA isn’t going to PCR itself. I’ll swing by your place at 8:00.”</p><p>Lexa gets up to leave, giving Clarke another kiss on the cheek, just in case any other Buy More employees are paying attention.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Lexa walks up the path to Clarke’s apartment with a nervous jump in her step. She has an overnight bag slung over her shoulder, and she hopes Clarke is the one that answers the door so she doesn’t have to deal with the knowing smirk that comes with seeing her arrive with a bag.</p><p>Unfortunately for Lexa, Octavia answers the door with a smirk. Because of course she does. Clarke probably had to warn her roommates that she’d be having an overnight guest and Clarke’s friends have no boundaries.</p><p>Lexa’s discomfort is stirred up with some confusion when Octavia says, “She’s in her room. You’ll like what you see.”</p><p>Confused, Lexa walks down the hall to Clarke’s room. She and Clarke exchange greetings and Lexa pulls some candles out of her bag and starts to light them.</p><p>“Really, Lexa?”</p><p>“They’re for ambience!”</p><p>“No one else is in here.”</p><p>“It’s for the cover!”</p><p>Lexa sits on the bed somewhat uncomfortably. Clarke rolls her eyes but decides to join her. But not without removing the robe she had been wearing to reveal she’s wearing lingerie and only lingerie.</p><p>“Jesus, Clarke! You give me shit for lighting a few candles and you’re wearing that???”</p><p>“Octavia made me. Insisted I do a mini fashion show so she could pick the best ones for ‘our first time to be special.’ She’ll ask if you liked it tomorrow morning, so I figured you should have a real answer,” and Clarke shrugs. She then pulls on a t-shirt and climbs into bed next to Lexa.</p><p>It’s only half true. Octavia did help her pick out which one to wear, but this was her idea. She likes when Lexa’s tough agent façade falters just a little with an inability to keep her eyes at eye level. The relationship might be fake, but her interest in boobs is completely authentic, and Clarke will take it over nothing.</p><p>“Do you want to watch a movie?”</p><p>Fifteen minutes into the movie, Clarke starts obscenely moaning.</p><p>Oh Lexa. Fuck.</p><p>Lexa slams a hand over Clarke’s mouth and loudly whispers, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?”</p><p>“I’ve lived with Octavia for years. I’m loud. Do you really want her to think you’re a terrible lay? Seems like that would blow our cover,” and then continues on making… noises.</p><p>Lexa is forced to accept that reasoning. That does not stop her from turning the color of a tomato, nor does it stop her from being unexpectedly turned on even after Clarke “finishes.” Lexa’s survived torture by foreign intelligence, a stabbing or two, and definitely dodged literal bullets, but at this point she’s not sure if she can survive Clarke Griffin.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>The next morning, Octavia pats her on the back with a “Nice work, Woods,” and asks if she enjoyed the outfit.<br/>

Lexa chokes on her cereal.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shout out to @chuckzacharylevi for helping edit and @femininenachos for letting me borrow her porn :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Clarke Vs. The Quarantine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke and Lexa meet at Lexa’s apartment to go over details of their next mission. They are currently huddled up over a spread of files on Lexa’s coffee table.</p><p>“I told Raven and O that we were going for a hike today, so we have all the time we need to prepare for this.”</p><p>“Good plan. This mission has a lot of moving parts, and it we don’t do it flawlessly, a lot of lives could be put in danger.”</p><p>“Great. Cool. Totally fine,” Clarke stutters.</p><p>“Clarke, it’ll be okay. We just need to make sure we’re all on the same page.” Lexa stands up to get herself a glass of water.</p><p>“Right. So remind me again what exactly we’re doing. I think Beckman was going to rip my head off if I asked a third time, so I didn’t ask. But the first two run-throughs she gave us didn’t make any sense,” Clarke admits.</p><p>Out of Clarke’s line of sight, Lexa rolls her eyes, but begins to explain when she is interrupted by the doorbell.</p><p>Clarke opens the front door to find a wrapped gift and no delivery man in sight.</p><p>“Lexa, you got a present! It must be from your neighbors welcoming you to the neighborhood,” Clarke calls into the other room as she tears it open.</p><p>Lexa pads into the living room and sees Clarke ripping wrapping paper from an unidentified box with an unidentified sender and yells, “Clarke, no!”</p><p>As if on cue, the box begins to spray an aerosolized substance into the air, onto Clarke, and eventually onto Lexa as she runs towards the mystery box.</p><p>Clarke coughs. “What the hell was that? Who sends someone an automatic air freshener… that’s ON?”</p><p>“Clarke take your clothes off.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Take them off,” Lexa says, pushing Clarke towards her bathroom.</p><p>Lexa sounds panicked enough that Clarke does as she’s told, taking off her shirt and stumbling backwards as Lexa strips off hers.</p><p>“Okay okay. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”</p><p>“Pants, now,” Lexa demands while turning on her faucet and shoving Clarke into the shower.</p><p>“Ah! Cold!”</p><p>Lexa hops into the shower behind her and starts lathering her hands with shampoo, then scrubbing Clarke’s hair.</p><p>“An unidentified sender just dropped off an unlabeled package to a CIA agent and the US government’s most important asset. If it were the welcome wagon, it would have had a note. It could have been anthrax, ricin, explosive residue, or anything else I can’t even think of right now. We need to get it off,” Lexa continues, gently massaging Clarke’s scalp with shampoo.</p><p>“Oh shit,” Clarke adds, grabbing a bar of soap and scrubbing off her torso and Lexa’s arms.</p><p>Things in the shower slow to a glacial pace as the two girls stare at each other, then recover enough to continue scrubbing. Clarke takes a loofa to Lexa’s abs, and tries not to focus on the fact that she’s naked. Lexa turns Clarke around so she can scrub her back. She places a tentative hand on Clarke’s hip to keep her in place, and steps closer enough that Clarke can feel her breath on the back of her neck. She watches goosebumps erupt down her spine.</p><p>“Did you breathe any of it in?” she asks quietly.</p><p>“No, did you?” Clarke whispers, turning around to face her.</p><p>“No,” Lexa replies, eyes flicking down to Clarke’s lips.</p><p>They’re too close. They’re hovering inches from each other’s faces as they rinse the soap from their bodies, trying to share the warm stream of water, both acutely aware of how intimate this is.</p><p>Lexa leans past Clarke to turn off the water, putting their bodies impossibly closer. They maintain eye contact, still hovering near each other’s faces as if pulled by a magnet until they’re interrupted by a loud bang on the front door.</p><p>“Yo! This was supposed to be a planning session for all of us. Let me in, assholes!” Anya yells through the door.</p><p>“Anya!” Lexa quickly wraps herself in a towel, and bolts from the shower.</p><p>“Anya, a package was dropped off here 20 minutes ago and released an aerosolized powder all over my apartment, myself, and Clarke. I’m going to take a sample of it and slide it under the door so you can take it back to the base and run some tests. Clarke and I will quarantine in here until further notice,” Lexa continues.</p><p>“Do you know who dropped it off?”</p><p>“No. Clarke didn’t see a delivery guy, there was no note, and no one knows I live here. Officially, I don’t exist, so no one should have been able to track me. Or Clarke. Her identity has been secure this entire time.”</p><p>While Lexa and Anya talk through the door, Lexa cotton swabs the nozzle where the aerosol came from. She also swabs Clarke’s shirt, the couch, and the box itself for good measure. She seals them in a plastic baggie and slides it under the door to Anya.</p><p>“Anya, if this is what I think it is… it’s been a pleasure serving with you, Colonel.”</p><p>“You too, Commander,” Anya adds, then speeds off to the base.</p><p>Lexa returns to the bathroom, still only in a towel, but pulls two fluffy robes from the linen closet and hands one to Clarke, who is still standing naked and dazed in the shower. Whether she’s dazed about the fact that she might die in the next two days of anthrax, the almost kiss in the shower, or the fact that she saw Lexa naked is unclear.</p><p>“Here, Clarke. We might as well get comfortable while we wait for Anya with the results.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Clarke replies, and snuggles into her robe.</p><p>The two of them exit the bathroom with nervous smiles, until Clarke says, “You know what. I just have to mention the elephant in the room, and then we can continue on pretending like everything is fine until Anya returns with results.”</p><p>“Okay?” Lexa laughs.</p><p>“I saw you naked, and you washed my boobs. There. I said it. We can return to normal, but I will say that if it comes back positive, and we’re about to die, what a way to go man,” Clarke jokes.</p><p>Lexa laughs, and they settle back onto the couch, and go over some files.</p><p>----------------</p><p>“LEXA IS A SPY AND IS BRAINWASHING CLARKE SO SHE CAN STEAL HER AWAY,” Raven loudly complains. She’s dramatically flopped over Octavia’s living room couch, half upside down, and moaning in despair.</p><p>“Raven… did you just hear yourself? You really think Clarke’s new girlfriend is a spy?” Octavia responds, refusing to play into Raven’s drama.</p><p>“Just hear me out. She appeared out of nowhere. She works really weird hours. She drives a Porsche but is only in mid-level biotech. Who has that kind of money at our age?!”</p><p>“Maybe she comes from money,” Octavia says, adding reason to Raven’s lunacy.</p><p>“Trust me man, something weird is going on there. Clarke’s even over at her place right now. She said they were going to go running. RUNNING, OCTAVIA. RUNNING. Clarke hasn’t run since high school gym class,” bemoans Raven.</p><p>“Okay, that is weird, but maybe she just really likes this girl and is trying to enjoy her stuff? Lexa looked pretty athletic when I met her a few weeks ago.”</p><p>“There’s something fishy there! You gotta trust me!” Raven begs.</p><p>“Clarke’s happy, Raven. Just be happy for her.”</p><p>“I bet if we went over to her place, we’d find all sorts of things to corroborate my story.”</p><p>“We are not breaking into Lexa’s apartment.”</p><p>“Says you,” Raven says, getting up and walking towards the front door.</p><p>“Raven! No! You are not going to go break into someone’s house because they’re stealing your best friend, and you’re convinced they’re a spy.”</p><p>“Only one way to find out for sure.”</p><p>“On the off chance you are right, wouldn’t breaking into a spy’s house be like… the worst possible plan in the world?”</p><p>Raven shrugs, but continues walking towards her car. Seeing no other option, Octavia follows Raven to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. Or illegal. </p><p>By the time they pull up to Lexa’s apartment, Raven has somewhat convinced Octavia that there is something odd that is worth checking out.</p><p>“Wait, how did you know where Lexa lives?” Octavia asks.</p><p>“I know things,” Raven replies, grabbing binoculars from her center console.</p><p>“Why do you own those?”</p><p>“For times like these, O, for times like these.”</p><p>Raven pulls Octavia with her to crouch behind the hedges outside Lexa’s place. She peers over the top to try to look into the front window, but the rooms look empty. No flashy décor. Nothing that sets off a red flag that screams SPY. She continues to creep through her binoculars when there’s movement in the apartment.</p><p>Lexa and Clarke appear wearing fluffy white bathrobes and laughing about something.</p><p>“Aha! She said they were going running, but she LIED and they’re at the house!”</p><p>“Ray, they probably went running, came back all sweaty, and took a shower. Seemingly together, hence that smug grin on Clarke’s face. That’s her ‘I got to see boobs’ grin.”</p><p>“Why do you know she has one of those?”</p><p>“We grew up together. I saw that face the first time it ever happened, and it still hasn’t changed.”</p><p>Raven grumbles. Her plan to break in has been thwarted. Hard to break in when the occupant is still there. She resolves to stop by some other time. Without Octavia. With an empty house.</p><p>“See? They’re fine. Just some shower sex, and now some cuddling and puzzling,” Octavia says, pointing at the two bodies nestled close to each other while they look at the coffee table.</p><p>-------------</p><p>Machines whir in the background as Anya frantically moves throughout the base, and runs every possible test for the mysterious aerosolized particles sprayed throughout Lexa’s apartment.</p><p>Eventually she runs the powder through a mass spectrometer and waits for results. She wonders if she should tell Beckman this is happening or wait until they have results to make sure she doesn’t unnecessarily bother the General.</p><p>She decides to wait until the mass spec results come in.</p><p>-------------</p><p>On the other end of town, Clarke and Lexa have exhausted all of the prep work for their original mission. Still in fluffy bathrobes, the two settle into silence before deciding to address the fact that they might have been infected with a deadly disease, and have no hope of survival.</p><p>“I’m feeling kind of tired,” Clarke admits.</p><p>“Are you feeling okay? Is it hard to breath, does your head hurt?” Lexa asks, voice laced with concern. She reaches over to put her wrist against Clarke’s forehead, checking for fever.</p><p>“I think I’m just tired. Something about the adrenaline crash post panic-shower mixed with studying for this next mission,” Clarke replies.</p><p>She settles further into the couch, closing her eyes and beginning to doze off.</p><p>“You’ll be here when I wake up, right?” She asks.</p><p>“Of course, Clarke.”</p><p>As Clarke falls asleep, Lexa takes the time to study her sleeping face. She looks peaceful, unlike the rest of the day where Lexa has seen a fear written behind her eyes despite their attempted distractions throughout the day.</p><p>When Clarke wakes up an hour later, she springs up with a start. Her eyes dart around the room, and settle on Lexa, who is sitting in an armchair nearby.</p><p>“It’s okay Clarke, you’re safe,” she says. Her eyes soften when they meet Clarke’s and Clarke’s breathing begins to slow to its usual pace.</p><p>Clarke blushes in embarrassment, and stands to wander around the apartment to distract herself. She walks over to take a second look at the package that ruined their plans for the day.</p><p>Tempted to fiddle with it, Clarke decides against it on the chance that it releases a second aerosolized coating for the room. Upon deeper inspection, Clarke sees a small engraving at the bottom corner of the box. As she leans over to get closer to it, her vision blurs, and a single image is pulled from the bowels of her subconscious.</p><p>FIND POLARIS, the image reads. Clarke’s vision refocuses and she shakes her head. That was so unlike a usual flash that she’s not sure it was even real.</p><p>“Lexa, what’s Polaris?”</p><p>Lexa looks up from her book and pales, “That’s not a name you should know, Clarke.”</p><p>“I didn’t know it, but the intersect seems to.”</p><p>“You don’t have clearance to know that information, Clarke. It wasn’t even in the Intersect as far as I know.”</p><p>“Lexa, I’m about to die of some unknown virus or bacteria that was directly sprayed into my face because the CIA accidentally ruined my life. I don’t give a shit about clearance right now.”</p><p>“I shouldn’t be telling you this.”</p><p>“Telling me what?”</p><p>“But seeing as we might be dying of anthrax right now, it’s only fair. Polaris is the code name of the man who created the Intersect.”</p><p>“So the engineer is still alive?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“We think so. But he has been underground and off the grid for nearly six years. I don’t think anything could get him to resurface.”</p><p>“But if we did find him, he could help get this thing out of my head, right? I could go back to having a normal life?”</p><p>“Theoretically…”</p><p>“I could have a normal life again! I wouldn’t have to be an unwilling pawn in the US government’s plan! I could be normal again!”</p><p>“Clarke…”</p><p>“I mean, assuming we aren’t about to die right now.”</p><p>Clarke continues, excitedly talking about everything she could do once the supercomputer is out of her head. How she is going to appeal Stanford to rightfully earn her degree back. How she and Raven will finally start their electronics company with the money the CIA will pay Clarke for her service. That she can actually have a real girlfriend or boyfriend without having to lie to her friends and family.</p><p>Lexa looks on, letting Clarke fantasize about a life without the Intersect. She pretends the ease with which Clarke would push her out of her life doesn’t hurt just a little.</p><p>“Just imagine—a world where you don’t have to pretend to date me.”</p><p>“It’s not that hard of a job. I’ve certainly had worse missions. Like ones where I end up getting tortured. Or have to pretend to be into a man,” Lexa says with a shudder.</p><p>Clarke laughs, “But at least you don’t have to give them your real name. As an undercover agent, you have a free pass to give them a fake name and fake number.”</p><p>Clarke then realizes something that makes her chest feel hollow. She might also be on the receiving end of a fake name.</p><p>“Is Lexa even your real name?”</p><p>“You know I can’t answer that Clarke…”</p><p>“Right.” Clarke says, looking down at her hands to hide the hurt.</p><p>Lexa wants to tell her. She’s so close to telling her that yes, Lexa is the name she’s always gone by. That she doesn’t always use it as a cover name, and when she does, she changes what it’s short for with each one, but yes. It’s the only name she wants Clarke to call her. Instead, she bites her tongue, and waits for the hurt on Clarke’s face to dissipate.</p><p>Instead, Clarke heads to the bathroom to change into a set of borrowed clothes.</p><p>-------------</p><p>The mass spectrometer finally beeps with its results. The four main compounds found listed as ethyl acetate, ethyle butate, furfural, and DMHF and upon further research, Anya finds that these compounds are used in… artificial fruit flavoring powders like Gatorade.</p><p>She runs the data a second time, but gets the same results. She triple checks that her samples contain no evidence of living or viral particles. All tests come back negative.</p><p>Who sent the package remains a mystery. And why they would waste time faking a biological attack.. unless wasting time was the intent and the perpetrator is hoping the delay affects something else… It all seems unnecessarily complicated for something that may not have worked. </p><p>--------------</p><p>Anya races back to Lexa’s apartment, relieved that her mission has not been compromised. The intersect is alive. Operation Intersect is still a go. </p><p>Anya bangs on the front door screaming “Let me in! I have good news, and you two do not need to be quarantined anymore!”</p><p>Clarke practically skips towards the door and throws it open, then launches herself into Anya’s arms. Anya stiffly stands there while Clarke clings, until she finally says, “Griffin. Get off of me.”</p><p>“Right. Sorry,” Clarke says sheepishly.</p><p>“So, what was it?”</p><p>“Gatorade powder.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Ethyl acetate, ethyle butate, furfural, and DMHF. All key components of Gatorade powder. Ran it through the mass spec twice.”</p><p>Clarke swipes her finger over the nozzle of the package and then licks it. “Mm, Strawberry flavored!”</p><p>“Clarke! Why would you lick it?! Anya could be joking!” Lexa cried.</p><p>“Anya doesn’t joke.”</p><p>“She’s right,” Anya admits. “Anyways, you two are free to go about your normal business. Are you sure you don’t have any idea who this is from?”</p><p>Lexa and Clarke share a knowing look, but choose not to tell Anya about the Polaris connection. It could be a red herring, and they aren’t sure whether or not it’s worth mentioning just yet.</p><p>“It must have been a practical joke from one of the neighbor kids,” Lexa supplies, knowing full-well it was a flimsy excuse at the least. Nothing like that shows up on the doorstep of a CIA agent’s house without some sort of explanation.</p><p>“Hm,” Anya adds. She’s skeptical, but not willing to ask about it in front of the asset. Maybe Lexa knows something she’s not ready to admit to Clarke yet.</p><p>“Okay, well if this quarantine is over, I’m going to head home for dinner with O and Lincoln. I’ll see you at the mission tomorrow. Good thing we got all that studying in!”</p><p>Clarke and Lexa make lingering eye contact as the two smile at each other. Clarke gives Lexa a big hug before she leaves. Lexa squeezes back, enjoying the relief that comes with knowing neither of them is going to die any time soon.</p><p>“You know I know the relationship is fake, right? You don’t have to pretend to do the lovesick eyes at each other in front of me,” Anya says.</p><p>Clarke ignores her and lightly jogs to her car, practically singing with joy that she 1) is not dying of anthrax and 2) has some hope of getting this computer out of her head.</p><p>“You’re getting awfully close to that asset,” Anya chides.</p><p>“Shut up, Colonel. We are strictly professional.”</p><p>“Is that what we’re calling that these days?”</p><p>“She’s a nice girl. No harm in being genuinely nice to an asset.”</p><p>“You’ll only end up hurting the both of you. You and I both know how this ends.”</p><p>“It doesn’t have to end that way”, Lexa argues.</p><p>“Commander Woods. Do you actually have a thing for this asset?”</p><p>“She has a name, Colonel.”</p><p>“Giving it a name only makes our job harder,” Anya responds.</p><p>Lexa raises her voice, and angrily says, “Did you just refer to Clarke as an it?”</p><p>“Woods. She is a temporary asset. There is no way to ‘uninstall’ the Intersect. Once the new Intersect is up and running, she will have to be eliminated.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Clarke Vs. Comic Con</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day at the Buy More passes like molasses on a cold day. Clarke and Raven stand near the Nerd Herd help desk as they approach the last hour of their shifts. With almost no one coming to ask them questions all day, they are more bored than they have ever been. Raven has taken to passing a paperclip back and forth between two pencils as Clarke picks at her nails, until finally, FINALLY Raven remembers they have some planning to do for the upcoming weekend.</p><p>“This year’s Comic Con is going to be the best one yet!” Raven exclaims.</p><p>“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”</p><p>“You haven’t looked at the list of this year’s speakers?!”</p><p>“I’ve been busy. Must’ve forgotten.”</p><p>“But we go every year. It’s the main social event of the year. We’ve almost won the costume contest for the last three. How could you forget something this important?!”</p><p>“I don’t know, just slipped my mind…There’s a lot going on in my life,” Clarke defends.  </p><p>“Riiiight. Your girlfriend,” Raven says, emphasizing the girl. She continues, “You still have your costume though, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course. Harley Quinn. Just because I haven’t looked at the speaker list doesn’t mean I haven’t been planning this costume for months.”</p><p>“Okay good. You haven’t been totally brainwashed.”</p><p>“Brainwashed?”</p><p>“Yeah. By Lexa. Distracts you with her muscles and then gets you to do her secret spy work.”</p><p>“Her what?” Clarke balks, hoping she isn’t overselling the shock. Raven’s been getting a little too suspicious of all the time Clarke and Lexa spend together.</p><p>“Nothing, nothing. I’m still working on my theories.”</p><p>Clarke laughs and says, “Don’t worry, Ray. I promise this weekend is all about you and me.”</p><p>“Was that Ray or Rey?”</p><p>Clarke rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re going as Rey simply because you sort of have the same name.”</p><p>“I mean… we’re also both smoking hot badasses, so it’s pretty damn perfect if you ask me,” Raven says with a grin.</p><p>Clarke rolls her eyes again, and checks her watch, which gratefully says 5:00 on it. She and Raven gather their stuff from the breakroom, punch out their time cards, and head to their cars.</p><p>“Take a look at those speaker lists!” Raven calls out her window as she drives by.</p><p>“Will do! See you bright and early tomorrow!” Clarke calls after her.<br/>-------------------------<br/>Once Raven’s car is out of view, Clarke turns back towards the Buy More, punches in her secret code, and heads down to the secret base, which she has lovingly dubbed the Bat Cave.</p><p>She gets there early in hopes of having some time alone with the CIA database. The base has an eerie quiet feeling when there’s only one person in it, but Clarke shakes off her discomfort and approaches the wall of computers. She types in her credentials and starts searching “POLARIS” in every possible location. She hits dead end after dead end, but continues searching. She checks over her shoulder at every sound, but keeps running into “CLEARANCE NEEDED” and “NOTHING MATCHING YOUR SEARCH FOUND” error messages as she continues her search.</p><p>When she hears a door slam upstairs, she quickly logs off and jumps into a chair at the conference table. She chews at her nails in an attempt to look casual.</p><p>“You’re here early,” Lexa says as she takes the seat across from Clarke.</p><p>“Just headed down after my Buy More shift. I’m surprised I beat Anya.”</p><p>As if on cue, Anya comes storming into the Bat Cave like a bat out of hell.</p><p>“This place is hell. This job is hell. Everything is hell,” Anya complains.</p><p>“Stuck doing inventory?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Yup. Counting useless shit all day,” Anya gripes.</p><p>They wait another minute until General Beckman’s face pops up on the screen and begins briefing them on their next mission.</p><p>“San Diego Comic Con,” Beckman begins, only to be immediately interrupted by Clarke. Beckman levels her with a stern look, then continues. “The CIA is anticipating some grassroots terrorist recruiting at San Diego Comic Con this weekend.”</p><p>“Did I hear that correctly? You actually said terrorist activity at San Diego Comic Con?” Clarke adds.</p><p>“Yes. The white nationalist terrorist group The Ark plans to run a panel under the guise of a fandom panel. Comic Con is the perfect breeding ground for incels and nice guy nerds.” Beckman throws air quotes around the two phrases, then continues, “They are the perfect pawns to be recruited and twisted into extreme nationalism, racism, and misogyny.”</p><p>“So what exactly is our mission?” Anya asks.  </p><p>“We do not have the grounds to arrest them, but we can try to clog their pipeline of influence. Your mission is to go undercover to sabotage their presentation. Temporarily incapacitate the speaker. Cut their mics. Whatever it takes. This mission is off-book, but highly important.”</p><p>“Define undercover,” Lexa asks skeptically.</p><p>“In costume.”</p><p>“Noted,” Lexa says. Anya groans loudly.</p><p>“As I said, this is off-book. We do not have collaboration or permission from the head of SDCC to be there so I could not get you security covers. Any last questions?”</p><p>When Lexa shakes her head, and neither Clarke nor Anya add anything, Beckman disconnects the call, and the trio are left staring at a black screen in silence.</p><p>“Raven is going to kill me,” Clarke adds, burying her face in her palms.   <br/>-------------</p><p>Raven sits in silence in the front seat of Clarke’s car with her arms crossed. She hasn’t said a word since her butt touched the chair, and Clarke isn’t sure whether she’s prefers it that way, or if she’d rather get Raven’s rage over with now instead of spending the whole weekend like this.</p><p>Clarke pulls her car to a stop in front of Lexa’s house and shoots her a quick text to let her know they are there.</p><p>After about a minute of waiting, Raven finally speaks. “Why is she coming, Clarke? This is our thing.”</p><p>“She was going with a friend anyway, and I just offered to carpool.”</p><p>“But this is our thing. Our tradition.”</p><p>“Ray, I didn’t think it was a big deal. It’s not like you have to do everything she does.”</p><p>Raven signs in frustration. “I never thought you’d be one of those girls.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“One of those girls who starts dating someone new and completely forgets about her friends, and lets the relationship take over her life,” Raven continues, still fuming mad.</p><p>“I promise I won’t let her take over our day.”</p><p>“You better not. And she’s sitting in the back. I got here first.” Raven huffs and re-crosses her arms.  </p><p>Lexa closes and locks her front door behind her and then walks towards the car. In costume, and it seems spared to detail on this thing. She emerges from her house dressed as Clarke’s favorite character from a dystopian drama: The Commander. She has everything from the tire shoulder pad and red sash, to the tear dripped war paint dripping down her cheeks, and Clarke’s jaw falls just a little.</p><p>Raven groans, “Aaaaand that promise goes out the window.”</p><p>“Hm?” Clarke half-paying attention asks.</p><p>Raven reaches an arm over the center console to close Clarke’s mouth and says, “Act like you’ve seen her naked, dude.”</p><p>Clarke scowls at her quickly before Lexa pulls open the back door, and slides into the back seat with a quick “Hi” and a smile.</p><p>“Alright let’s get this show on the road. I pick the music!” Raven exclaims.</p><p>“We have one more stop.”</p><p>“Uuuugggghhhhhgh who?”</p><p>Clarke ignores her question and punches in one more LA-based address into her GPS. She pulls up to an apartment complex, sends a quick text, and waits.</p><p>A few minutes later, Clarke sees Anya walking towards her car. She’s wearing tight black jeans, a leather jacket, and two matching knives strapped to her thighs. She fits the description of any vague dystopian heroine. Finally, Raven sees who their last road trip companion is and immediately perks up.</p><p>“On second thought, it’s rude of me to keep the lovebirds apart. Lexa, you take shotgun. I’ll slum it in the back,” Raven says.</p><p>“Mhm. That’s why,” Clarke teases. Raven slaps her shoulder to try and shut her up.</p><p>The rest of the car ride is fairly uneventful. Raven talks to and flirts with Anya. Clarke and Lexa ride in relative silence, but Clarke’s right hand rests on Lexa’s left thigh, and occasionally, Lexa will mindlessly intertwine their fingers and smile at her.</p><p>----------------<br/>When they finally pull into the parking lot at SDCC, everyone is eager to get out of the car and stretch their legs.</p><p>Only then does Lexa get the chance to take in Clarke’s full costume. Her eyes rake over Clarke’s body. From the pink and blue pigtails to the oh so short shorts.</p><p>Her eyebrows raise as she says, “Clarke you look amazing. This is by far the best Harley Quinn costume I have ever seen.”</p><p>“Speak for yourself, Commander,” Clarke replies.</p><p>Lexa continues, “And Raven’s Rey costume? Impeccable down to the last detail.”</p><p>Raven grins with pride, but walks towards the entrance with Anya.</p><p>“Lexa Woods. Are you a closet nerd?” Clarke asks incredulously.</p><p>Lexa smiles and shrugs, and refuses to answer how she got her hands on so perfect a Commander costume on such short notice. Clarke chooses to believe that it’s something she just had in her closet.</p><p>The pair follow Raven and Anya towards the entrance.</p><p>“Are Anya’s knives real?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Knowing her? Probably,” Lexa responds.</p><p>“She does realize you have to go through a metal detector to get into this event, right?</p><p>“I’m sure she has a plan.”</p><p>While they wait in line to go through the metal detector, Clarke watches Anya hide the blades up her sleeve, and as she walks through the detector, she throws them parallel to the machine, then catches them along the other side, successfully avoiding their detection.</p><p>Clarke watches in awe, and turns around to try and find anyone else who also just saw that. Everyone else seems too busy talking to friends and shoving costume pieces through the luggage metal detector.</p><p>Clarke watches Lexa go through, looking for any neat tricks to sneak in spy tools. When nothing seems different than anyone else walking through, she whispers “What about your weapon?”</p><p>“I had the CIA stash some stuff for me in a women’s bathroom. There’s stuff for Anya too. I’ll pick it up when you head to your first talk,” Lexa whispers back.  <br/>------------------<br/>While Anya reads the pamphlet and surveils the floor to find their target, Lexa rejoins Clarke and Raven as they wander around looking at booths. Lexa grabs Clarke’s hand as they walk around, and Raven rolls her eyes.</p><p>While Lexa is distracted at a candle booth, Raven snaps at Clarke again.</p><p>“Clarke, you’re never free anymore and you’re always with her. Do you even remember the last time we hung out just the two of us?”</p><p>“Ray, it’s not like that!”</p><p>“Oh really? Then why are we stuck waiting for her to pick out a goddamn candle instead of watching the 3D printers make action figures like we were planning to do before she joined us!”</p><p>“C’mon. It’s just a two minute delay!”</p><p>“She’s been debating between candles for at least ten, Clarke. What happened to your promise of her not taking over our day?” Raven asks, and then storms away into the crowd.  </p><p>Clarke lets Raven walk away, but pulls out her phone to send her a text. She types, "I’m sorry Raven. I’ll give you some space to cool down. Save me a seat for the Neil Gaiman panel that starts in 30 minutes.”</p><p>Lexa returns from the booth with a small bag tucked under her arm.</p><p>Clarke looks up from her phone, and instead of greeting Lexa with a smile, says “You’re ruining my life.”</p><p>“What?” Lexa asks, unsure what she did wrong while buying a candle.</p><p>Clarke explains how Raven has felt like Clarke doesn’t have time for her anymore. How it seems like Clarke is just blowing her off for a girlfriend instead of for matters of national security. How Raven is so incredibly mad at her for something she isn’t even doing.</p><p>Lexa reads the guilt and desperation on Clarke’s face, preempting the question she knows is coming. “Clarke, you can’t tell her.”</p><p>“Why not?!”</p><p>“Accidentally downloading our database into a civilian’s head doesn’t project a great image for the CIA. Once other people know, you need to be taken underground. You’re too easy of a target.”</p><p>“She won’t tell anyone!” Clarke argues.</p><p>“That’s not a risk we can take. If you think I’m ruining your life now, it would only get worse if she found out. You wouldn’t be allowed to live here anymore. You’d be in a cell in a CIA dark site for the rest of your life.”</p><p>Clarke gulps. She didn’t quite realize how much worse this could have been handled for her. For the most part, she’s doing pretty well. She still has her job. She can still see her friends. She can still live with her non-blood related sister. She runs through the list of things she can still do and sighs.</p><p>“Yeah, but why am I even at this mission?” Clarke asks. “You haven’t needed me to flash at all, so why was I dragged into this?”</p><p>In some sick twist of fate, Clarke scans the room in an attempt to find Raven, but instead her eyes fall on a neon green furry fox costume, and her vision blurs.</p><p>Nazi symbols. KKK hoods. Lynching photos. Police corruption scandals. Internal Affairs cover-ups of white cops abusing power. A 2017 Furry Convention. The name David Duke.</p><p>Clarke’s vision begins to clear, and she almost doesn’t want to admit that she just flashed, but Lexa is looking at her with concern, and reaches an arm out to help stabilize Clarke’s wobbling.</p><p>“Did you just flash?”</p><p>“Yeah. I really wish I hadn’t though. I can’t unsee any of that.”</p><p>“Any of what?”</p><p>“See that neon green fox over there? That’s our Ark speaker, David Duke.”</p><p>“You’re sure?”</p><p>“Absolutely,” Clarke says with a resigned sigh.</p><p>“Oh Anya is going to have a field day with this.”<br/>-------------</p><p>They keep an eye on the fox—he’s pretty easy to keep track of in the crowd—and find Anya to devise a plan to take him down.  </p><p>Because Anya is wearing the most low-key costume, they decide she will be able to pretend to be a Comic Con organizer most convincingly. Clarke and Lexa will be in charge of babysitting duty once he’s collected.</p><p>Anya approaches the towering green furball quickly, taps his shoulder and says, “Excuse me, Mr. Duke. Your presentation is in about 20 minutes, and I am here to escort you to your accommodations.”</p><p>“Ah yes, excellent!” he says, voice somewhat muffled through the suit.</p><p>“Follow me,” Anya says. She weaves through crowds, and leads him down a long hallway until they reach a door labeled “Esteemed Speaker Dress Room.”</p><p>Without batting a large green eyelid, David Duke waits for Anya to open the door for him. Anya smiles at the smug bastard, opens the door to the janitorial closet, and kicks his green furry ass into the confined space. She rips off the head, and punches him square in the jaw.</p><p>Gone is her fake cheerful demeanor, and in place is a stern seething anger. She gets really close to his face and says, “We fought a whole war against your kind, and somehow you always think it’s okay to come back. Nazis always deserve to be punched in the face.”</p><p>Anya tosses a roll of duct tape to Lexa, who stands next to Clarke on the other side of the closet. “Make sure he doesn’t leave,” she says.</p><p>Clarke gives her a half-hearted salute, and Lexa nods while ripping off a long piece of duct tape to tie Duke’s hands together.  </p><p>Anya continues her role as fake Comic Con organizer, and loudly announces the Ark Panel will begin in just under 15 minutes to a crowd that has huddled around the conference room door. She shuttles Kylo Ren, Red Skull, and countless other cosplayers into the room where a panel of feminist, LGBT, and POC speakers awaits them.</p><p>She steps in front of the mic before it begins for a brief announcement. “Our sincerest apologies for the change in program. Mr. Duke seems to have been tied up in other things, so we have prepared for you a one of a kind panel with some leading pioneers in the industry.”</p><p>The sea of people erupts in a groan, but two burly men guard the exit, so few are willing to stand to leave. Anya gives a quick salute to her former cadets (both on stage and guarding the door), and lets them begin their brief history of injustice in the film industry.</p><p>-------------<br/>Meanwhile in the janitor’s closet, Clarke, Lexa, and the Nazi furry sit on the floor. The Nazi’s mouth is duct taped so they don’t have to listen to his poisonous rhetoric any more than absolutely necessary. As he flails along the floor, he ends up knocking a paint can onto his own head, and knocking himself unconscious.</p><p>It’s hot and sticky in the closet. Ventilation is poor, and Clarke is starting to sweat. Lexa’s hair is starting to frizz, but they wait for Anya to return before doing anything.</p><p>It’s been silent for about twenty minutes when Lexa finally asks, “Did you find anything when you searched the CIA database?”</p><p>“How did you know that I…?”, Clarke trails off. </p><p>Lexa quirks an eyebrow. “It’s my job to keep tabs on you, Clarke.”</p><p>Clarke stops pretending to play dumb and adds, “Right. But no. Nothing yet.”</p><p>“We’ll find something. We’ll get it out of your head.”</p><p>About thirty minutes later, Anya returns with a patterned knock. The hall is somewhat crowded, as many talks just ended and there’s some transition time before the next one. Clarke and Lexa stumble out of the closet looking somewhat bedraggled and bump directly into a passing Raven.</p><p>“Seriously Clarke? Ditched me and our favorite author for that?” She says waving her hands at their level of dishevelment.</p><p>Clarke checks her watch and realizes she missed the entire talk she promised Raven she’d meet her for. “Raven, I’m sorry!”</p><p>Raven doesn’t give her a second to explain herself, and storms off.</p><p>Clarke turns to Lexa, and sounds desperate, “This is horrible. She thinks I just blew her off for a quickie instead of for national security! And I can’t even tell her what’s really going on! I’m getting screwed here and not in a fun way.”</p><p>Lexa looks apologetic. “You’re right Clarke. I’m sorry. You deserve to have a normal life when you can.”</p><p>“I’m getting this thing out of my head, eventually, and then it won’t be sometimes. It’ll be all the time,” she says and then chases after Raven.</p><p>When Clarke finally catches up to her, she apologizes, but Raven isn’t having any of it. They go through the rest of their day in stilted silence. Clarke leaves Lexa and Anya to deal with the Nazi furry. She doesn’t want to be involved. She doesn’t ask about the plan; she doesn’t want to know. </p><p>They finally regroup at the end of the day when they meet at Clarke’s car to head back to LA. Raven refuses to sit next to Clarke, so sits in the back seat with Anya. When Raven doesn’t even try to talk to Anya, Clarke knows how badly she fucked up. She keeps both hands on the wheel on the way back. Lexa doesn’t attempt to reach out to hold her hand, trying hard not to add fuel to Raven’s fire.</p><p>Clarke drops everyone off one by one, with awkward and uncomfortable goodbyes to everyone. When she finally gets back home, and into her own room, she screams into a pillow in frustration.</p><p>-------------<br/>On Sunday, Raven opens her front door to find an envelope with her name on it. Inside are two all-day pass tickets to a new arcade—dated one day before its grand opening. She searches for a note and finds:</p><p>Dear Raven,</p><p>I’m sorry for stealing your best friend. I hope a day with just the two of you can help make up for it.</p><p>-Lexa</p><p>“How the hell did she afford this?” Raven wonders out loud.</p><p>Still confused, but grateful for the effort, Raven walks back into her apartment to call Clarke. Before she dials her number, she pulls out a notepad from her desk and adds this oddity to a list entitled “Reasons Lexa is probably a spy.” She then hides the list back in the top drawer of her desk and calls her best friend.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Clarke Vs. Kung Pao Chicken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tuesday night is for Chinese food. Clarke and Octavia have been coming to the same Chinese restaurant every week since they moved to LA. Their waiter knows them by name, and at this point has even stopped bringing them menus because he knows their order too. It’s always the same—rotating between vegetable mushu, chicken broccoli and garlic sauce, or orange chicken. They skip the line, are brought to a table, and order using the menu code, V4, H2, and H3 respectively, instead of dish names. It’s routine. It’s tradition. It’s really, really good Chinese food.</p><p>Clarke, Octavia, and Lincoln sit in their usual corner booth waiting for their food to arrive. Clarke people watches as she waits. She takes in the old man who is there almost every Tuesday, same as them. A young couple on what’s clearly an awkward first date. Then her eyes settle on a mid-30s Chinese woman sitting alone at the table. She’s drinking tea and eating dumplings more slowly than one normally does. Her eyes shift around the restaurant, clearly looking or waiting for something. As she raises chopsticks full of dumpling to her lips, her sleeve slips just below the wrist and a small lotus flower tattoo peeks out. As soon as Clarke sees it, her vision blurs.</p><p>The Chinese Ministry of State Security logo. Zhi Rho. Heavily redacted mission write-ups. A photo of General Beckman shaking hands with the head of Chinese intelligence. Visa applications. Denied visa applications. A private jet.</p><p>Octavia calls Clarke’s name, and Clarke’s vision begins to refocus.</p><p>“Are you okay? You look kind of dizzy,” Lincoln asks.</p><p>“I’m fine. Just didn’t eat enough today I guess,” Clarke lies.</p><p>“Good thing our food’s on its way,” Octavia says, pointing to their usual waiter pushing their cart of food and drinks over to their table.</p><p>Once the food arrives, Clarke forgets about her flash. She starts piling food on her plate, and shoveling it into her mouth just as quickly. Octavia and Lincoln talk about their work at the hospital, ask about how the Buy More is, and eventually wind up talking about their Thanksgiving plans. This is their first year hosting Thanksgiving, instead of going to Lincoln’s parent’s house.</p><p>“You’re making cranberry sauce, right Clarke?”</p><p>“Only if you promise to make at least two pies,” Clarke says with a cheeky grin.</p><p>When Thursday’s meal has been sufficiently planned out, and Octavia confirms that Clarke used her Buy-More seniority to not get stuck with a Black Friday but still technically Thanksgiving Thursday shift, they settle into contented silence and chewing.</p><p>When they finish eating, stuffed and lounging back in their chairs, Octavia asks, “Did you notice the food was a little spicier today?”</p><p>“Yeah! And the ratios of vegetables in the mushu was different. I wonder if they got a new chef,” Lincoln answers.</p><p>Their waiter overhears the conversation and confirms, that they did, in fact, get a new chef, and even insists on bringing the man out to meet his most loyal patrons.</p><p>When the chef steps out of the kitchen, and smiles at the trio, a glint of gold flickers in his mouth, and Clarke’s vision blurs as images involuntarily flash through her mind.</p><p>A logo of a dragon. The Chinese mafia. Illegal money laundering and drug trafficking operations. The Triad logo. 18th century Three Harmonies Society. Old opium trade involvement. Redacted file of an Interpol-CIA joint investigation.</p><p>Clarke’s vision snaps back to focus, and Clarke realizes she needs to call Lexa.</p><p>“Clarke, are you okay? You look dizzy again,” Lincoln notices.</p><p>Clarke jumps at the excuse and races to the bathroom. Once inside, she locks the door and pulls up Lexa’s contact, then hits call. Clarke paces as the phone rings. Once. Twice. Three times, until finals Lexa answers with a “Hello?”</p><p>“Lexa, I just flashed.”</p><p>Lexa sounds immediately alert, and Clarke can hear the shuffling sounds of Lexa putting on a coat, shoes, and finding her keys. “Where are you?”</p><p>“Neo-China.”</p><p>“Your Tuesday night dinner spot?”</p><p>“Yeah”</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“I flashed. Twice. The first one was on a woman at the table. She’s Chinese intelligence. Seemed innocuous so I didn’t call you right away. The second one was on the new chef—he’s part of the Triad and is into some shady stuff with drug trafficking. What do I do?”</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“Nothing?”</p><p>“Clarke, I need you to get out of there. You guys finished eating, right?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Good. Pay your bill. Walk out. Act like there is nothing wrong.”</p><p>“Are you sure I can’t be more useful?”</p><p>“Clarke. You’re too important for m—” She immediately corrects herself, “for the CIA to lose. I’m on my way.”</p><p>Lexa finishes gathering her stuff, shoves a gun into her holster, and climbs into her car.</p><p>Clarke splashes some water on her face, and heads back out to meet Octavia and Lincoln. She makes up an excuse about eating too much too quickly and feeling nauseated. Octavia already paid the check, so they stand to leave the restaurant. The woman is still seated at her table, sipping tea. Clarke can see the chef through the window to the kitchen.</p><p>As Lexa pulls up to the restaurant, she sees two large men shove a person, bound by the wrists with duct tape and a hood thrown over their head, into a car trunk. As the car starts, a mid-30s Asian woman fitting Clarke’s description of the Chinese intelligence agent runs out of the building and begins to chase the car, but it speeds away without acknowledging her.</p><p>When she collapses to her knees in the parking lot, distraught, Lexa pulls her car next to her, flashes her badge, and says, “Get in.”</p><p>---------------</p><p>They cover the basics while in the car. Who are you? Why are you in the United States? Who did they just kidnap? Does your agency know you’re here? Does the US government know you’re here on a mission?</p><p>Her name is Zhi Rho. She’s here without her agency’s permission to try to save her partner, who has been kidnapped by the Triad. Well, they’ll certainly know now.</p><p>Zhi agrees to a blindfold as she is led to the Cave. It’s standard procedure to not allow other intelligence operatives to know where your secret CIA base is, so she agrees without much argument. When they are finally in the Cave’s conference room, the blindfold is removed and she is introduced to Anya and Clarke, who are also seated at the table.</p><p>Anya introduces herself as NSA. Clarke is introduced as a CIA analyst, not a field agent.</p><p>“Didn’t I just see you at the restaurant?”</p><p>“Yeah, what an odd coincidence,” Anya states matter-of-factly in an effort to steer any conversation as to why not one, but two CIA agents happened to be on site for a Triad kidnapping.</p><p>Lexa dials Beckman’s emergency number and puts her on speaker for the group to hear.</p><p>“General, this is Commander Lexa Woods, and we have an issue of international collaborative partnership here, sir.”</p><p>“Explain.”</p><p>Zhi takes over for Lexa. “General, my name is Zhi Rho and I am an agent for China’s Ministry of State Security. My partner, Zhang Wei, was on an undercover assignment with the Triad while in China, until his cover was blown and he was kidnapped and brought to the United States. My government would not allow me the resources to try and rescue him. I am asking for US aid to help save my partner.” Her voice waivers. She sounds desperate, and afraid.</p><p>General Beckman pauses in thought, as if to consider the offer, but replies with, “I am sorry about your partner. However, I cannot risk American lives and agents for an agent that has come to this country without permission from their own nor my government. Agent Woods, please see to it that Ms. Rho is escorted out of the country.” She hangs up without another word.</p><p>Zhi begins to sob. Her hope of rescuing her partner vanished in front of her eyes.</p><p>“We can’t just leave the man to die!” Clarke argues.</p><p>“We have orders. We will follow them,” Anya responds.</p><p>“That’s completely unfair! Just because you’re a robot doesn’t mean everyone can sit by while an innocent man is kidnapped and probably killed!” Clarke continues.  </p><p>Zhi winces at the mention of Wei being killed, and Clarke grimaces for saying it within her earshot.</p><p>Lexa sits next to Zhi, rests her hand on hers, and asks, “He’s more than your partner, isn’t he?”</p><p>Zhi nods, and silent tears fall from her eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry we cannot do more. I can’t offer resources, but I will give you a few days to investigate on your own before escorting you to the airport. It’s the best I can do,” Lexa offers softly.</p><p>“Thank you,” Zhi whispers.</p><p>--------------</p><p>The next morning, Clarke fiddles with a broken laptop while sitting at the Nerd Herd help desk. She sees Zhi walk through the Buy More entrance and approach the desk.</p><p>“Zhi! I’m so sorry about the General’s decision. I wish I could do more to help.”</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry, you will,” Zhi says, not breaking her cheerful smile. She slides her gun out from under her arm so Clarke gets a good look.</p><p>Oh. Oh.</p><p>Clarke raises her arms slightly in surrender and slowly backs away from the desk. She scans the aisles for Anya, hoping to find her.</p><p>“Put your arms down—you’ll draw suspicion,” Zhi says.</p><p>Clarke lowers her arms, and activates her panic alarm tracker embedded in her watch. They haven’t had a chance to test this out yet, and she prays that it actually works.  The barrel of the gun is pressed into her spine and they nonchalantly walk out of the Buy More and to an unmarked car. Zhi guides Clarke into the passenger seat.</p><p>“You do know I’m just an analyst, right? You literally could not have chosen a worse option to help you right now,” Clarke panic explains.</p><p>“Every agent has some field training. You’ll do,” Zhi responds.</p><p>“But I didn—” Clarke cuts herself off to not reveal that she’s the human Intersect and not a real agent.</p><p>“I don’t want this to be ugly. I just need help getting my partner back, and you seemed the most empathetic. Will you work with me?”</p><p>“It’s really hard to take that seriously when you’re brandishing a gun in my face.”</p><p>“Fair point,” Zhi says, and unloads the gun one-handed while still driving with the other. “What about now? A show of good faith. Will you help me get my partner back? What if it were Agent Woods? Wouldn’t you do the same thing?”</p><p>Clarke can’t argue with that point so she says, “Yes, I’ll help you.”</p><p>----------------</p><p>Down the block, Lexa pipets her sample into the gel well when her phone blares to life with a distress call from Clarke. She immediately drops her experiments as it is and runs down the street to the Buy More, still in her lab coat. Lexa races into the building, searching frantically for Clarke. When she finds Anya, she practically screams, “Clarke’s SOS alarm went off. Where is she?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Nerd Herd desk last I checked.”</p><p>“She’s not there! How can you not know?!” Lexa cries. “We have to get her back. What if they hurt her? What if they kill her?!”</p><p>“Her watch has a GPS tracker. We’ll follow the signal,” Anya says while she pulls out her phone and opens her tracking app. The two run to Lexa’s car, and Anya tells Lexa where to turn while they weave through LA traffic trying to catch up to the blinking red dot that is Clarke.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Lexa kicks down the hotel door with no hesitation. Guns are drawn as she and Anya enter the room on high alert. They turn the corner to find Clarke and Zhi Rho sitting across from each other at a small kitchen table.</p><p>“Lexa!” Clarke says excitedly.</p><p>Anya storms past Clarke, pulls Zhi out of her chair, forces her face first into the table. She cuffs her hands behind her back, and starts a lecture about kidnapping a CIA agent and potentially causing an international scandal. Zhi doesn’t let her finish.</p><p>“Your partner was gone for five minutes and you broke down my door to rescue her. Imagine what I’ve been dealing with in the two months that I have been tracking and failing to rescue him,” Zhi pleads, still cuffed, face smushed against the table.</p><p>“You’re right,” Lexa concedes. “But if we help you, we’re going against orders too. Should you choose to defect, we can help you.”</p><p>“The Chinese government was fine letting him die, so I have no problem renouncing my affiliation. Please. Please help me rescue my partner.”</p><p>Anya’s pressure relents and she uncuffs Zhi’s arms, but watches her closely as they sit around the table to work out a plan.</p><p>Zhi begins, “Here’s what I know so far. I planted a bug on the car that took my partner. It’s currently located at 229 South Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills. I cased the place this morning. They have a FrontPoint security system. Cameras at every entrance and in each room.”<br/>“I know that security system. We sell it at the Buy More. I’ve installed more than a few myself,” Clarke adds.</p><p>Anya rolls her eyes, but says, “Good. You’ll stay in the van, and enter the system for surveillance.” Clearly she had hoped to leave the asset behind on this mission.</p><p>“I can do more than that. I can disable it so you can get into the building,” Clarke states angrily.</p><p>Lexa smiles at Clarke, nudges her with her elbow, and whispers, “Atta girl.”</p><p>Clarke blushes, but beams with pride. Zhi witnesses the interaction with a curious stare, but chooses to continue with, “There are seven armed guards throughout the building. One at each entrance, and four surrounding Zhang. We’ll have the element of surprise, but are otherwise going to have to brawl our way out of this.”</p><p>Anya perks up at the mention of a brawl. She hasn’t been able to hit someone in a long time. Or shoot someone.</p><p>They spend the rest of the day and into the early evening planning the logistics, gathering tactical gear, and securing a surveillance van.</p><p>Clarke is gearing up to leave right then, when Zhi mentions “We’ll meet back here tomorrow evening for the rescue mission.”</p><p>“Tomorrow? But that’s Thanksgiving…” Clarke trails off.</p><p>“Life and death, Clarke. Holidays mean nothing to an agent,” Anya says, punching her in the shoulder.</p><p>Lexa looks at her with a sympathetic grimace, and tries to reassure her that they can still try to make Thanksgiving dinner.</p><p>-------------------</p><p>In the kitchen, a flour-covered Octavia rolls out a pie dough while simultaneously prepping mashed potatoes and stuffing. Lincoln monitors the thaw level of his full turkey. The duo move around the kitchen in frantic grace, and Clarke watches them for a few minutes before heading out on her rescue mission.  </p><p>“I’m headed to Lexa’s,” Clarke says and walks out the door.</p><p>“Don’t be late for Thanksgiving dinner! 7PM sharp!” Octavia calls.</p><p>Clarke pops her head back through the front door and yells back, “I know! Cranberry sauce is already made and in the fridge!”</p><p>-------------</p><p>Anya pulls the van to a stop about a block away from their target house. Everyone is wearing all black, and has at least three weapons hidden on their person. Everyone except Clarke that is. She’s in her classic chucks, jeans, and a regular flannel button down. She’s waiting in the van. She doesn’t need to look quite as inconspicuous.</p><p>Clarke types furiously on the computer, hacking into the house’s security system. When the screens flash up pictures of a man tied to a chair and three guards, Clarke knows she’s in the right feed.</p><p>“Alright, I’m in,” she says with finality. She checks her watch for the time, calculating exactly how much time they have left for her to not be late for Thanksgiving dinner.</p><p>Anya and Zhi hop out of the car, but Lexa hesitates a second, “If anything goes wrong, you need to get out of here. You just need to stay safe.”</p><p>“Lex, last I checked I’m sitting in the van. You’re the one about to go into an armed fight when you’re out numbered 2:1. I think I should be telling you that.”</p><p>Lexa blushes. “You’re right. But my point still stands. Something goes wrong, you get to safety. We’ll figure it out for ourselves.”</p><p>From inside the van, Clarke has turned the alarm system off, and has a view of all 11 cameras, but there are still seven armed guards to their three-man mission. She watches the screens searching for her team. She sees them sneak past the front entrance and open the side door only to be immediately met by an armed guard who starts to call for help. Lexa takes him out with a swift kick to the face before he gets the chance. Anya zipties his arms and feet together, duct tapes his mouth, and shoves him in the nearest room.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Clarke says into her mic.</p><p>“Clarke, shhhh. This is only for important information,” Anya snarls.</p><p>“Right. Sorry. Head east towards the back of the house. There are two more guards in front of the room holding Zhang.”</p><p>Clarke watches them slowly move through the house, Anya on Lexa’s 6, and Zhi flanking Anya. The two guards in front of the door go down like a sack of potatoes when Anya shoots each of them with a tranquilizer. They start to open the door to the room. She sees the door slowly start to open and then… every screen in the van flips to a blank screen that reads “No Signal.”</p><p>Clarke jolts out of her seat and starts messing with cables and wires, trying to get her visual back.</p><p>“Guys, I’ve lost visual!” Clarke yells into her mic.</p><p>Clarke hears a grunt, a yelp of pain, and then the mic falls to eerie silence.</p><p>Clarke continues to try to reboot the security system so she can get a visual. After about ten minutes of trying and typing, she finally re-taps the feed, only to find not one hostage (Zhang), but Anya, Zhi, and Lexa tied up in chairs next to him.</p><p>“Oh, shit.”</p><p>Lexa told Clarke that if anything were to happen to them, she should just leave. Abandon ship. Let them figure out how to get out, but Clarke refuses to leave her people without even trying to help, so she digs through the van trying to find something to cause a diversion.</p><p>Clarke checks the feed for more information, and notices that there are six armed guards surrounding them—some must have hidden in the camera’s blind spot so Clarke wasn’t able to warn them that there were even more than they anticipated.</p><p>Clarke eyes her team closely. Anya is tapping her foot in an unpredictable pattern, that makes Clarke believe it’s Morse code. Too bad she doesn’t know Morse code. She shifts her eyes to Lexa, who is pulling at her restraints behind her back. She watches in horror as Lexa breaks her own thumb and slides her left hand out of the handcuffs.</p><p>Clarke fights her nausea back down, and finds a flare gun tucked in the glove compartment. Realizing it’ll buy her team some time, she sticks her arms out the window and fires straight up into the air, then turns to the screens to see if it works.</p><p>She watches as the six guards jump in alarm at the noise and move towards the window to see what happened. Zhi and Lexa nod at each other as Lexa springs from her restraints, and cuts Anya, Zhi, and Zhang free with the knife that had been tucked into her braid.</p><p>Upon realizing their captives are no longer tied up, the guards surround them. Zhi and Zhang unhelpfully collapse into each other’s arms. What happens next, Clarke can only describe as an immaculate display of martial arts. Despite being surrounded and having no weapons beyond the single knife Lexa yields, Lexa and Anya fight off the six guards in a series of kicks, hits, punches, and holds that appear to be right out of an action movie. Not to mention, Lexa does it all with one broken hand. It’s her left, but still.</p><p>With all Triad members in the house either unconscious or so injured they are unable to move, the four international spies, retreat.</p><p>When they get to the van, Clarke practically throws herself out of the sliding door and into Lexa’s arms.<br/>“Are you okay?” she asks, holding Lexa’s cheeks. She turns to Anya as well and asks the same thing.</p><p>Lexa is cradling her left arm at her chest, but says, “We’re fine Clarke. You’re not supposed to be here though. Your orders were to abandon ship if anything happened to us.”</p><p>“Technically, I didn’t leave the van so you can’t be mad at me,” Clarke smiles and batts her eyelashes in an attempt to seem more innocent.</p><p>“You did good, Griffin. You did good,” Anya says, as the five of them get into the van.</p><p>Zhi and Zhang spend the car ride wrapped in each other. Occasionally, Zhi will disentangle herself to profusely thank the team for their help. They drop the couple off at the airport, finally following Beckman’s original orders.</p><p>Anya drops Clarke and Lexa off at the Cave to patch Lexa up. Clarke looks at her watch and reads 7:15, but doesn’t say anything, as Lexa bandages and casts her own hand and wrist. Clarke helps as instructed.</p><p>“Are you sure you shouldn’t go to the hospital?”</p><p>“This isn’t the first time this has happened. At this point, I know how to set a broken thumb.”</p><p>Clarke helps her reset her bones in a navy blue cast, then helps her dress for their Thanksgiving meal. The bomber jacket gets stuck on her cast, and Clarke helps fish her fingers out of the sleeve with a chuckle.</p><p>-------------</p><p>Octavia and Raven sit on the couch sipping wine and waiting for Clarke to come through the front door.</p><p>“She’s late,” Raven says. Her watch reads 7:23.</p><p>Octavia tries to hide how hurt she is. “I can’t believe she’s missing Thanksgiving. She promised she’d be back in time.”</p><p>“Clarke loves pie. There’s no way she’d willingly miss this… unless…”</p><p>“Unless what?”</p><p>“Don’t shoot me down again.”</p><p>“Spit it out, Ray.”</p><p>“Unless Lexa is actually brainwashing Clarke and she really is a spy.”</p><p>“Not this again.”</p><p>“LISTEN! She has gotten Clarke to go running. They are out and return at mysterious times regardless of previous plans. Did I tell you that she rented out an entire arcade for us? Who has the money for that?!”</p><p>“Lexa’s just trying to befriend Clarke’s friends. Maybe she went a little overboard, but that just shows how much she likes Clarke.”</p><p>Raven scoffs. “I mean she better. If she takes this much of her time, they better be it. She better love her.”</p><p>“I think she does. You should see the way Clarke talks about her. She seems really happy, I just… didn’t expect to lose her like this.”</p><p>Raven rests her hand on Octavia’s and says, “Yeah. Growing up sucks.”</p><p>The front door creaks open and Clarke enters the apartment holding Lexa’s hand. Clarke looks completely devastatingly guilty, and she starts to speak, but Lexa interrupts.</p><p>“I am so sorry we’re late. I had a small mishap,” she says holding up her casted hand. “Clarke came with me to the hospital. The line of Thanksgiving injuries was absurd, and a broken thumb didn’t triage me to the top of the list. Please don’t be upset with her, this is entirely on me.”</p><p>“Clarke! Why didn’t you call me?! I could have pulled some strings at the hospital!” Octavia scolds.</p><p>Raven get up from the couch, and say, “Well you’re here now, so let’s eat!”</p><p>As they walk past, Clarke gives Lexa’s hand a big squeeze and mouths a quick, “Thank you.”</p><p>“Of course, Clarke,” Lexa replies, and pulls her in for a hug.</p><p>Octavia and Raven watch the hug, and smile. Clarke really does seem happy with this girl.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Clarke Vs. Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>as always, thanks to @chuckzacharylevi for editing my garbage and to @coneheda for the moodboard</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas in LA doesn’t really feel like Christmas. It’s 68 degrees outside. Most of LA has started wearing UGG boots and sweaters to pretend it feels like winter, but to Clarke, the holidays haven’t felt like the holidays in a long time.</p><p>In stark contrast to the balmy Los Angeles weather, the Buy More has decorated itself to look like a winter wonderland. There’s a giant Christmas tree in the front, a token menorah in the front window, and enough lights, fake reindeer, and fake snow to fill a small island. Raven has taken to rearranging the reindeer into compromising positions to make Clarke laugh, and to force their annoying manager to constantly patrol the store to rearrange them to more innocent positions.</p><p>Clarke giggles at the Sisyphean task of mounting and then fixing reindeer that her best friend and boss have been playing all day.</p><p>Raven has just returned from hiding a reindeer in the display dryer to scare potential customers and says, “Hey, it ensures that he has something that is as much of a pain in the ass as we do. Holiday shoppers are the literal worst. Besides, Christmas is in two days. If you haven’t gotten your people a gift yet, you suck.”</p><p>“Subtle, and yes, Raven, I already got your gift.” Clarke rolls her eyes.</p><p>“Good,” Raven replies.</p><p>Lincoln walks into the store wearing a red flannel and jeans. He spots Clarke and Raven, and immediately heads toward them.</p><p>“Hey what are you doing here on Christmas Eve?”</p><p>“Just some last minute gift shopping for O”</p><p>“Was the rock the size of a raisin not enough of a gift?” Raven jokes</p><p>“She got a rock, and I get her, so I win that competition. I have to make up for it somehow.”</p><p>“That’s disgusting,” Raven retches.</p><p>Clarke shoves her. “I think it’s sweet.”</p><p>“Oh my god, you’re so loved up with Lexa that you can’t see how gross all of you are.”</p><p>Clarke turns to Lincoln and asks, “Can I help you find something specific or are you just browsing?”</p><p>“I’m just looking for little fun gags,” Lincoln says, as he begins eyeing the store. “Besides, looks like you’ll be busy with your girl anyway,” he adds, pointing at Lexa who just walked through the front doors.</p><p>Lincoln has disappeared through the aisles with Raven by the time Lexa has caught up to Clarke. They are mid-greeting when they hear gunshots coming from the front entrance.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Customers and employees alike dive behind aisles. Lincoln and Raven stay ducked behind a display of vacuums, while Lexa and Clarke are tucked behind the Nerd Herd desk.</p><p>Clarke looks desperately at Lexa. “You didn’t know this was going to happen, right? That’s not why you’re here?”</p><p>“No, I came to talk cover story and plans for Christmas. Besides, we’d never intentionally plan a mission in such a public place with so many civilians.”</p><p>“So does this mean someone has figured out that I’m the Intersect and come to kill me?”</p><p>Lexa’s face immediately turns stern as she says, “I’d never let that happen.”</p><p>Lexa peers over the counter to look at who has just taken the Buy More by force.</p><p>“I don’t want to shoot anyone, but I will if I have to. Just here for the money. If no one calls the cops, we shouldn’t have any issues,” says a middle-aged white man. He’s on the heavy side with a short buzzcut of brown hair, and a scruffy beard. He’s carrying an AK47 across his chest, but seems to have had minimal training with a weapon based on his hand placement. He has two other partners, who are pointing guns at cashiers, and instructing them to empty their registers into duffle bags.</p><p>Lexa motions to Clarke that she should come look while everyone is distracted so she can flash. Clarke warily lifts her head above the counter so she gets a good look at all three assailants, but then… nothing.</p><p>She tries to stare harder at them, focusing on small details like tattoos, jewelry, or even weapons, but her vision never blurs, no information leaps from the depths of her subconscious.</p><p>“I got nothing,” she says, confused and somewhat defeated. “They must not be in the Intersect. Guess I need an upgrade,” she halfheartedly jokes.</p><p>Lexa thinks for a while, and takes another hard look at all of them, then begins to crawl beneath the counter, and darts towards another aisle. When she’s sure it’s safe for Clarke to do the same, she motions for her.</p><p>“Where are we going?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“We have to find Anya. If you didn’t flash, then they are just regular old robbers.”</p><p>When they hear sirens outside the building, they know someone called the police, and they begin to get more erratic, and start rounding up customers to make them all sit in the same place in the store where they can keep an eye on them. Lexa gracefully glides and rolls through the Buy More, hesitating when necessary, and keeping Clarke safe, while continued demands come from the robbers. Luckily, they haven’t been spotted yet.</p><p>By the time they get to the blender section in the back of the store, Anya has been waiting for a few minutes, and assaults them with questions about who these terrorists are, and if they know Clarke is the Intersect.</p><p>“They’re not in the Intersect. We’re pretty sure they’re just run of the mill robbers,” Lexa explains.</p><p>“Where’s your gun?” Clarke asks Anya. If Clarke is being honest, she’s shocked Anya hadn’t already pulled a piece and shot the three robbers.</p><p>“I don’t have it on me. It’s in my locker.”</p><p>“What?! Since when do you not have at least three weapons on your person?!”</p><p>Anya could incapacitate them in seconds, and this whole thing would be over, but Lexa stops her when she starts to head for the breakroom.</p><p>“You know we can’t be the ones to take them down,” Lexa says calmly.</p><p>“Why not?” Clarke balks. “You have all the tactical training you’d need. You can save all these people so easily!”</p><p>“Because I’m just a biotech worker. Anya is just a Buy More clerk.”</p><p>Anya snarls at her assessment, but ultimately knows she’s right.</p><p>“The second we use any of our tactical training, we blow our cover. Our job is to protect you, not the rest of the Buy More.”</p><p>“Well, fuck.” Clarke says.</p><p>“So for now, we play the sitting ducks. If given an opportunity, we intervene safely, and efficiently.”</p><p>Clarke unwillingly agrees, and begins scanning the crowd of customers and employees that are being held hostage there. She sees Monty and Jasper who have taken this as an opportunity to open one of the giant tubs of cheeseballs, and stuff their faces while they wait. A young couple is huddled and crying, clearly terrified. A pile of phones is thrown in front of them so no one can call for additional help. The rest of the crowd sits in quiet fear, as they wait. One assailant is pacing in front of the group, occasionally waving a gun. Another is emptying additional registers into his duffle full of iPhones. And the big one, the one who seems to be in charge, has just decided to answer the Buy More Nerd Herd phone when it rang (probably the local police calling to figure out demands). Clarke is so glad she’s already crawled and rolled throughout the entire Buy More store to avoid being there.</p><p>Then Clarke realizes something, and scans the crowd again. She checks a third time, just in case, but her stomach drops when she doesn’t find them. “I don’t see Raven or Lincoln.”</p><p>Lexa goes to check, but doesn’t find them. “They’re probably just in an aisle hiding out,” she says, trying to reassure Clarke. </p><p>“Yeah but they told everyone to file to the front or they’d be shot.”</p><p>“We didn’t listen to that, and you don’t seem worried about us,” Anya says,</p><p>“You guys could take a shooter down with your bare hands with no problem. Raven and Lincoln aren’t internationally trained spies who know eight different types of hand to hand combat!”</p><p>-------------------------</p><p>Meanwhile behind the vacuums, Raven and Lincoln assess what is happening in the store.</p><p>Raven first notices that these guys seem like amateurs. They’re not particularly organized, they don’t all seem entirely comfortable with a gun, and robbing a store in the middle of the afternoon doesn’t even make sense. They should have at least tried to break in at night when they didn’t have to worry about hostage negotiations. She explains this reasoning to Lincoln, who somehow believes her, and sides with her when they opt not to join the group of hostages. </p><p>Speaking of hostage negotiations, Raven scans the group at the front of the store and realizes that Clarke, Lexa, and Anya are not part of the group.</p><p>The beefy one hangs up the phone having demanded pizza and an armored van in exchange for releasing a few hostages. He signals to his guy at the front to let three hostages out of the front, then relock the doors behind them.</p><p>“I’ve never understood talking to the police and being dumb enough to think they’ll take your demands, and let you go,” Raven says.</p><p>“Agreed. It makes no sense. Have they never seen a cop show? They’ll lie to you to tell you your van is waiting, then 1) arrest you immediately or 2) shoot you,” Lincoln answers. “I don’t think the LAPD is going to be particularly helpful in this situation.”</p><p>“Are they ever?”</p><p>“Valid point.”</p><p>“We’re better off to take them down ourselves, aren’t we?”<br/>“Raven, that’s a terrible idea.” But the idea has already taken root in Raven’s mind, and Lincoln watches as the gears silently turn in her head, and she darts into another aisle.</p><p>“Raven! Get back here!” Lincoln whisper shouts. Raven does not listen, and Lincoln tries to follow her, but loses her in the maze of the store.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Fifteen minutes later, Clarke, Lexa, and Anya watch as a plastic reindeer gets thrown to the floor near one of the lackeys. The man is patrolling the doors, out of view from his accomplishes. The sound startles him, and he whips around to find what made the noise, only to find a reindeer.</p><p>When another reindeer skitters behind the man, and Raven appears wielding two lit blow torches from the grilling sections.</p><p>“Oh no,” Lexa and Clarke say almost simultaneously. Raven is certainly about to do something stupid.</p><p>When the man jumps again at the noise, he draws his gun. When his eyes meet hers, his finger moves to the trigger and Clarke closes her eyes afraid she’s about to see her best friend get shot. She hears two concurrent thumps, and some clattering and clanging as guns and torches hit the linoleum floor.</p><p>Clarke peers over again to find Anya laying almost fully on top of Raven, and Lincoln holding the robber down, knee in his back, hands held behind his back, and other hand over his mouth. Lexa and Clarke look flabbergasted.</p><p>Raven looks at Anya, who is currently still mounted on top of her, not realizing that the potential shooter is incapacitated. Raven’s still staring in awe when she manages to croak out, “You saved me.”</p><p>“Don’t read into it,” Anya says, pushing herself off of Raven.</p><p>Raven lights up with a cheeky grin. “You like me, don’t you?”</p><p>“I am already regretting this decision,” Anya gets up from on top of Raven and offers Lincoln a giant zip tie for the robber’s arms, and duct tape for his mouth.</p><p>----------</p><p>“What does Lincoln do again?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“He’s a doctor at the hospital with Octavia.”</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yeah”</p><p>“Did he serve in the army or something?”</p><p>“Nope. He’s just like that.”</p><p>“Wow,” Lexa says, shaking her head in disbelief.</p><p>“I can be impressive too,” Clarke pouts.</p><p>Lexa rolls her eyes at her, and follows with, “I know, which I why I need you to hack the security system and turn the two cameras that have the other two robbers in their view so they’re in a blind spot.”</p><p>“What are you going to do?”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Clarke still worries about it. She knows Lexa is more than capable of handling any situation, but she still never wants to see her hurt. This small crush she has on her partner is starting to turn into something more, and Clarke doesn’t have the heart to smush it down any longer.</p><p>Less than five minutes later, Lexa returns to Clarke’s side without a word about what just happened, but instructs Clarke to open the front doors.</p><p>Police flood into the Buy More to find three attempted robbers already tied up near the giant Christmas tree.</p><p>Every hostage is held for a statement. It’s a gruelingly slow process, and while the capture of one assailant can be accounted for, absolutely no one knows how the other two ended up tied up with him.</p><p>Clarke and Lexa effectively lie during their interviews. Technically Clarke doesn’t know for sure that it was Lexa, so it’s not too much of a stretch. Lexa talks about being so afraid, and staying by her girlfriend’s side the entire time.</p><p>By the time the scene is closed, and hostages are permitted to go home, Octavia has driven herself into a tizzy. She launches herself into Lincoln’s arms, happy that he is safe. Then she hugs Clarke, Raven, Lexa, and even Anya.</p><p>“I’m so glad you are all safe. I was so scared. The news coverage made it sound awful. I thought I’d never see any of you again,” Octavia rambles, a ball of nervous energy and stress slowly lifting off her shoulders with every word. “Everyone is coming to Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night. No buts. After a night like tonight, I need this.”</p><p>Anya reluctantly agrees after a swift kick in the shin from Lexa. She’s never been one for family traditions. Or family. Or friends really. But something about this found family that Griffin has makes it seem not so bad.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Christmas Eve dinner is a jovial event. Octavia flits around refilling everyone’s drinks and repeatedly saying how happy she is that everyone is safe and healthy after last night’s events.</p><p>They joke about Lincoln and Anya’s heroics, chastise Raven for trying it alone, and make guesses for what happened to the other two men. Clarke and Lexa share a knowing look that Raven briefly takes note of, but doesn’t ask because despite her curiosity, the events as they were did score an invite for Anya to dinner, and Raven can’t really complain with some extra time with her.</p><p>By the end of the evening, everyone is so stuffed with food and pie that they lounge on the couches and floor hoping to digest before moving. Eventually, Raven and Anya decide to head home, and the group convenes at the front door for goodbye hugs. Lexa grabs her jacket and starts to make moves to leave as well, when Clarke catches her by the hand and says, “You should stay.”</p><p>“I don’t want to intrude on your family Christmas plans, Clarke. I don’t mind heading home, really.”</p><p>“You’re not intruding! We’d be happy to have you for Christmas morning,” Octavia offers.</p><p>“Technically it’s already Christmas,” Lincoln adds, checking his watch that reads 12:05AM.</p><p>“Please?” Clarke asks, hoping the pressure of her friend and the adrenaline crash from the day’s excitement successfully convince Lexa to stay.</p><p>“Yeah, sure. I’d like that,” Lexa says with a soft smile.</p><p>Octavia and Lincoln bid them goodnight, and all four head to their respective bedrooms. Clarke rummages around in a drawer to find some pajamas for Lexa. She sets an old high school softball t-shirt with GRIFFIN emblazoned on the back and a set of dancing reindeer pajama pants out for Lexa, and pulls on a regular t-shirt and shorts for herself.</p><p>When Lexa leaves to brush her teeth in the pajamas, the sight of her name on Lexa’s back settles a warm glow in the center of Clarke’s chest, and she smiles to herself as she settles into bed.</p><p>Lexa returns from the bathroom and snuggles into the covers on the other side of the bed. There’s nearly three full feet between them as they try to stay as far on their side as possible to not cross any boundaries. </p><p>------------</p><p>Clarke wakes up with Lexa’s arm draped over her middle, and her face a mere six inches from her own as they share the same pillow. Clarke enjoys it for a few minutes, but slowly extracts herself from the bed when she realizes she wants to avoid an awkward conversation when Lexa wakes up. She leaves to brush her teeth, and texts O to see when she’ll be ready for waffles and presents.</p><p>Octavia and Lincoln emerge from their room mere seconds after Clarke hits send, and they head to the kitchen to make waffles.</p><p>“Where’s your girl?” Lincoln asks.</p><p>Clarke smiles at the question and replies, “Still asleep, but I should probably go check on her so she doesn’t wake up alone.”</p><p>“First Christmas. You excited to see what she got you?” Octavia asks.</p><p>Clarke smiles again, grabs two mugs of coffee as she heads to her room. She realizes they never talked about this. Did Lexa get her a gift? Clarke got her one, but they hadn’t anticipated on a public Christmas cover story.</p><p>In the bed, Lexa slowly wakes up only to realize she’s alone in the bed. She looks around the room briefly, taking in the details of the animal poster above the bed, the vintage video game poster above the desk, and the few photos scattered around. When she sees Clarke standing in the doorway with two steaming mugs, she jumps in surprise.</p><p>Clarke laughs, “Shouldn’t it be harder to startle an international spy? Isn’t espionage your thing?”</p><p>Lexa rolls her eyes. “Well excuse me for not having my guard up first thing in the morning.”</p><p>“Come on. We’ve got some waffles to eat, and presents to open, and I have your coffee,” Clarke calls out behind her, already walking away. Lexa follows, padding sleepily behind her not-girlfriend.</p><p>They eat relatively quickly as Octavia instructs them on how Christmas presents work in this household. They alternate who opens presents. Everyone watches each unwrapping. There’s a photo with every gift. Repeat until all presents are gone.</p><p>They start with small gifts. A spatula, a new car keys key chain, a candle, some favorite sweets. When it’s time for the Big Gifts, Lexa starts off by handing Clarke a neatly wrapped blue box.</p><p>Clarke tears it open, to reveal a picture frame with a photo of the two of them that she’s never seen. In a place she’s never been.</p><p>“It’s from that hike we went on a few months ago. Eagle Rock,” Lexa says with a smile.</p><p>“Oh, right,” Clarke fakes a smile. They never went on that hike. This gift, much like their entire relationship is a lie.</p><p>“Keep going, there’s more,” Lexa encourages.</p><p>Clarke pulls two other pictures out of the box. One is a young Lexa, riding her bike on the beach. She’s missing her two front teeth and her grin is brighter than the sun. Clarke’s heart melts. The second photo is Lexa in standing outside a Nellis F-19 plans. She’s wearing a flight jumpsuit and aviators, with a smoldering look on her face that Clarke immediately wants to do dirty things to.</p><p>Her eyes well up with tears—she knows exactly what this gift means. Lexa gave her the Real Her. No covers yet. Just a happy kid learning how to ride a two-wheeler, and an apparent Air Force sex god that Clarke doesn’t know how to handle.  </p><p>“Thank you, Lexa. These are perfect,” Clarke says, and shows the new photos to Lincoln and Octavia, who aww over her toothless grin, and ask a few military follow-up questions.</p><p>It’s Lexa’s turn next as Clarke hands her a small red velvet box containing a necklace with an infinity sign charm dangling from the chain.</p><p>Lexa opens the box. “It’s beautiful Clarke, thank you.”</p><p>Clarke blushes.</p><p>Lexa tilts the box so Octavia and Lincoln can see what it contains, and Octavia doesn’t have time to think about it before she blurts out, “Clarkey, isn’t that the necklace your father gave you before he left?”</p><p>The look Clarke shoots Octavia should be lethal, but she nods anyway.</p><p>Upon seeing Clarke nod, Lexa’s eyes shoot up with a look that reads “What the fuck, Clarke? I can’t have this! You don’t give this kind of gift to a fake girlfriend,” but all she says is a weak “Clarke…”</p><p>“I know. But I want you to have it,” Clarke says, and before she can continue, Lexa is leaning in to capture her lips in a kiss. Her hand finds purchase on Clarke’s jaw as she tries to pour every ounce of gratitude into this public display of affection. It’s short, and a little sticky from the maple syrup, but it jumpstarts Clarke’s heart, and has her soaring for the rest of the gift unveiling, despite the nagging internal monolog of “It’s a cover, it’s a cover, it’s a cover”</p><p>-------------</p><p>They talk about it again when they’re alone, and Lexa reiterates that, “This is the kind of gift you should save for a real relationship,” but Clarke pushes back, insisting that she wants Lexa to keep it, and helps her clasp it around her neck.</p><p>Lexa’s stuff is packed to return home. Octavia loaded her up with some leftovers, and she carries the small gifts from Lincoln and Octavia as well, but she can’t quite bring herself to leave. She unconsciously fiddles with the necklace while she and Clarke talk with flirtatious smiles and long lingering looks before finally Octavia reminds Clarke that they’ll be late for Raven’s mom’s Christmas dinner and that no one wants to deal with an angry Mama Reyes.</p><p>Lexa obliges and finally moves towards the door with her stuff. Before she goes, she leans in for a long sweet kiss to Clarke’s lips, and they both pretend that it was for Octavia’s benefit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Clarke Vs. The Bomb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At lunchtime, Clarke clocks out of her Buy More shift for a briefing. She triple checks that no one is watching, and uses the secret vending machine entrance down to The Cave. Anya is already sitting at the conference table, cleaning a gun. Clarke plops herself down next to her, avoiding a conversation, and instead looking intently at her phone.</p><p>Lexa enters from the other side of The Cave, and takes a seat across from Anya. Clarke looks up from her phone to offer her a smile before their briefing starts.</p><p>The large screen flashes on, and General Beckman’s face appears. She looks tired. She clearly hasn’t slept in days, and her level of dishevelment unsettles Clarke. Something is wrong.</p><p>Beckman begins, “Our intel tells us that terrorist organization The Ark is engaging in a huge weapons transfer in Los Angeles in the next few days. Unfortunately, the details are fuzzy. Our undercover agent was mid-conversation with their handler when they were shot from over a mile away.”</p><p>Clarke gulps and glances at her own handlers. If you’re not safe with your handlers, who can you be safe with?</p><p>Beckman continues, “We’re not sure how The Ark found out they were a double agent, only that we have apparently not been careful enough in this matter. What we do know is that there is a bomb big enough to level the entire city and its suburbs on its way to Los Angeles. Your job is to track it down and make sure it never makes it to market.”</p><p>“Yes, Sir,” Anya says before disconnecting the call.</p><p>“How exactly are we supposed to find one bomb in 503 square miles of a city?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“With research,” Lexa replies. She pulls out an enormous file labeled “Ark” from a file cabinet.</p><p>Anya, Lexa, and Clarke pour over the file together looking for relevant information that might suggest locations. A logo on one of the pages sticks out to Clarke, and when she pulls it out of the pile to look at, her vision blurs.</p><p>A tall office building. Schematics for secret passageways and elevators. A front for a money laundering company. A recruitment brochure. Ark agents. And lastly, an address.</p><p>“Ark headquarters are in downtown LA,” Clarke interjects.</p><p>“What? How would we not already know that?” Anya asks.</p><p>“According to the Intersect, you do. Wilshire Grand Center. Level 37 and 38.”</p><p>“We don’t have time to waste. We have to go there today,” Lexa says.</p><p>“How do we get in?” Clarke asks.</p><p>Anya is quiet for a few seconds, then says, “As janitorial staff. No one will give us a second glance.”</p><p>“I’ll man the van,” Clarke rolls her eyes.</p><p>“Actually, we need you in there,” Anya replies.</p><p>“Wait what?” Lexa and Clarke ask simultaneously.</p><p>“If the bomb isn’t already there, we’re going to need her to flash. It’s hard to flash when you can’t see much detail in the surveillance van. She’s got to come in,” Anya explains.</p><p>“Anya, that’s too dangerous. We’re in their headquarters.”</p><p>“Lexa, she’ll be fine. I’ll have her back the entire time. And you can watch every other angle from the van,” Anya continues.</p><p>“No. No! I’ll go in, you man the van,” Lexa argues.</p><p>“You’re too jumpy around her. You’ll blow your own cover and put both of you at more risk.”</p><p>“Can we stop pretending I can’t hear you?” Clarke asks. “You’re both great, but if I’m being honest, I’ll take Ms. I Treat My Guns Like My Children because she’ll shoot someone without hesitation.”</p><p>Lexa looks dejected, and Anya puffs up her chest. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise,” Anya boasts.</p><p>“You better not,” Lexa mumbles under her breath.</p><p>Clarke nudges her with her elbow and says, “Well, well, well, how the turn tables! Keep the van chair nice and warm for me.”</p><p>Lexa rolls her eyes, but nonetheless chuckles at Clarke’s excitement of being allowed out of the van. They hunker down and plot out their plan of attack for the mission.</p><p>After forty-five minutes of planning, they reach a consensus, and Clarke and Anya head back up to the Buy More to clock in after their lunch break.</p><p>Raven sees them exit the breakroom, and confusedly asks, “Where were you? I thought we were going to have lunch together?”</p><p>“Just in the break room,” Anya lies.</p><p>Raven looks at them skeptically. She was just in the breakroom. She had her lunch in there. There’s no way they were in there, but then again… how else would they have just come from there? It’s not like the breakroom has a secret entrance… or does it?</p><p>“Alright, I’ve got to head over to an install,” Clarke says before Raven can ask any follow up questions.</p><p>“There wasn’t one on your schedule though?”</p><p>“Last minute addition. High-paying client just called,” Clarke claims.</p><p>Raven is still skeptical, but has shelves to restock, so lets her go without another word. When Anya goes with Clarke, Raven gets suspicious again. Usually first year employees aren’t trusted with installs yet.</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Clarke and Anya change into their grey janitor jumpsuits in the car. Clarke glances down at her nametag, and says, “Cindy? Really?”</p><p>“It’s the best I could do on short notice,” Lexa apologizes.</p><p>Anya glances at her own nametag and comments, “Let’s hope no one there reads because I don’t think I can pass for a Hector.”</p><p>Lexa hands each of them their comms for the mission, and tests them to make sure they work. “Okay. You’re ready. Be safe,” she tells Clarke, then looks to Anya and says, “You too. Take care of her.”</p><p>Anya slaps Clarke on the shoulder. “Let’s go Griffin. You’re joining the Big Leagues today.” They hop out of the van and head towards the building’s main entrance. They get custodial carts from a closet on the main floor, and walk past the security guards who barely give them a nod.</p><p>Once at the elevators, they tap the 37, and wait. When the elevator reaches the floor with a ding, and the doors slide open, it reveals an alarmingly empty office space. Anya takes the lead, pushing her cart in front of her, and carefully balancing a gun in her hand behind mop heads and cleaning solutions.</p><p>They pass agents working quietly on computers, others are on the phone. They pass a weapons armory, and Clarke has to nudge Anya to continue moving forward instead of stopping to shop. Anya keeps checking behind her to see if Clarke has flashed on an agent or their computer screen, but no such luck. They finally reach a file room at the end of the hallway, and shuffle inside with their carts. Anya jams the door with her own so they can buy some time if someone else were to come into the room.</p><p>“You start on that end, I’ll start over here,” Anya orders, pointing Clarke around the room.</p><p>Clarke yanks open a file cabinet and starts scanning file names. Operation Mincemeat. Operation Nemo. Operation Polaris. Operation Viking Snatch. Clarke’s brain catches up to what she just read. Polaris? As in the inventor of the Intersect? Her fingers are moving before she is able to make the conscious decision, and she pulls the file out of the cabinet and begins reading as fast as she can.</p><p>It delves into the history of the Intersect project, and a bit about the inventor himself, although he remains nameless. She reads page after page about the science behind the conglomerations between neuroscience and coding, and how they were actually able to code the human mind. It’s brilliant, and she’s honestly kind of jealous she wasn’t involved in the project herself. That is, until she reads about some initial failed tests that killed the test subjects. She’s a few pages in when Anya turns the corner to find Clarke nose-deep in a file.</p><p>“Did you find something about the bomb?”</p><p>Oh. Right. That. Clarke scrambles to explain herself, but comes up short. “It’s—uh—the Intersect. I was just trying to find out more so I could get it removed from my head…”</p><p>“Our mission is to stop a bomb that will level the city, not worry about one civilian with a computer issue. I can’t believe you’d waste valuable time for your own selfish reason--”</p><p>Lexa cuts her off through her earpiece. “Anya, you’re wasting just as much time scolding her for it. Both of you, get back to the mission.”</p><p>Both Anya and Clarke are still angry, but Clarke concedes and puts the file back in the cabinet, then continues to flip through files. Operation Escapé. Operation Prospect. Operation Ottoson. The last name triggers something in Clarke’s memory, and her vision begins to blur as images begin to pop up.</p><p>Giant bomb. Schematics. A manufacturing company in North Korea. A shipping container. A ship’s manifest from North Korea to China to Los Angeles. Ark plans to level the city to start a war. A shipping container number.</p><p>Clarke’s vision returns to normal right as she and Anya hear the doorknob to the file room jiggle. They both leap into action.</p><p>“You got what we need, right?” Anya asks, running for her cart.</p><p>“Yeah. It’s—”</p><p>Lexa cuts Clarke off this time with, “I’d love to hear about it, but right now you two need to get the hell out of there before you get caught. Debrief in the van. There’s only one guy at the door. Pretend you were just cleaning in there and accidentally blocked the door with your cart. Clarke, do the talking.”</p><p>Clarke beams, “Aye aye Commander.” Lexa blushes in the van, and thanks god neither Clarke nor Anya are there to witness it.</p><p>Clarke unbuttons the top button on her jumpsuit, grabs a mop from her cart and starts scrubbing the floor, then bumps Anya’s cart out of the way of the door as a man angrily walks in.</p><p>“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry sir. I didn’t realize my cart had blocked the entrance! Hopefully you didn’t have to wait too long,” Clarke says with a beaming smile.</p><p>The man flusters, clearly not expecting a beautiful woman, and stutters over his answer. The seething rage fades into a bad attempt at flirting, as Clarke and Anya finish up in the room, then head back towards the elevator.</p><p>Anya and Clarke ride back down, store the custodial carts back in the closet, and get back to Lexa in the van.</p><p>Lexa pulls up to the front of the building in the municipal van, just as Clarke and Anya leave the front entrance. Anya slides the back door open for Clarke to get in first, then hops in after her. Clarke starts stripping off her custodial jumpsuit almost immediately, as Lexa pulls away from the building.</p><p>Lexa tried to make eye contact with her teammates through the rearview mirror and asks, “What did you learn?”</p><p>“The bomb was shipped from North Korea to China to LA in a shipping container,” Clarke comments. She closes her eyes to focus on the number she had seen, trying to pull the image back into focus. “The shipping container number was KGCR31081989.”</p><p>“Guess we’re headed to the shipyard then.”</p><p>-----------</p><p>In LA traffic, the drive to the shipyard takes them an hour and a half. By the time they get there, the sun is on its way down, casting an orange light across the water and shipping containers. If they weren’t so pressed for time, they might even have time to acknowledge that the view from the top of some shipping containers was beautiful.</p><p>Instead, they race to park, and then weave through seemingly endless rows and rows, stacks and stacks of containers.</p><p>When they finally find it, they realize that the lock has already been cut and the door left open a crack. When Anya pulls it open, they find it completely empty.</p><p>“Shit,” Anya says, “Shit shit shit shit shit.”</p><p>Clarke looks nervously between Anya and Lexa. “Now what do we do?”</p><p>“I’m not going to lie, this is bad. This is really bad. But we can’t just give up right now. Scour the container. Look for anything left behind. Trash, footprints, anything that might give us a clue to where this thing is.”</p><p>They pace around the empty container for nearly twenty minutes, combing through every crevice. Wedged in the corner of the container, a small piece of white catches Clarke’s eye. She cautiously approaches it, then pulls to reveal a piece of paper the size of a business card. The side Clarke sees first is entirely blank, and she’s about to crumple it up and throw it away, when she turns it over to see a cartoon Oscar drawn on it.</p><p>Her vision blurs, and Clarke flashes to bomb schematics. Frank Sinatra’s mob connections. His star on Hollywood Boulevard. One building on Hollywood Boulevard. Then her vision clears again, and she says, “5550 Hollywood Boulevard.”</p><p>Lexa and Anya don’t have time to question it, and the three of them race back to the van, hoping they can get back to downtown LA before it goes off. It’s already dark by the time they leave.</p><p>-----------</p><p>The streets are full of tourists, and Clarke thinks they should warn them to clear out, but Anya reminds her that they don’t even know for sure if the bomb is there. It would cause mass hysteria, and probably blow their covers completely if they’re wrong.  Clarke disagrees with Anya’s assessment, but when Lexa backs her up, she’s forced to accept it.</p><p>Still grumpy with Anya, Clarke requests that Lexa is the one that goes with her, and Anya stays in the van. Lexa and Anya agree—Lexa has more experience with deactivating explosives anyway.</p><p>Lexa and Clarke climb the fire escape to the top of the building. As they climb, Lexa asks, “So what did you learn in that Polaris file?”</p><p>Clarke pauses before answering, “Not enough.”</p><p>“But something?”</p><p>“Yeah, a bit about how it actually works, and how they created the technology. I didn’t get deep enough to figure out who the inventor was before Anya interrupted me.”</p><p>Lexa hums in response and lets Clarke ramble.</p><p>“I wish I could have kept that file, or at least read more of it.”</p><p>“I know, Clarke.”</p><p>They climb in silence until they finally reach the top of the building and find an enormous wooden crate perched in the center of the roof. Lexa tosses Clarke one of two crowbars left near the box and says, “Here, help me out”</p><p>The causal conversation on the walk up to the roof lulled them into a false sense of security. Neither expect to find the bomb yet, but anticipate yet another clue in this scavenger hunt through Los Angeles. Unfortunately, when the side falls with a crash to reveal a silver capsule roughly the size of an elephant with a timer that reads 45 seconds, their stomachs plummet as they are brought back to reality. They have 45 seconds to diffuse this bomb, or it will level the entire city.  </p><p>Lexa darts for the control panel, looking for wires, buttons, anything, and Clarke stands behind, willing herself to flash.</p><p>“Come on Intersect. Show me how to do this. Flash!” Clarke says to herself.</p><p>Lexa turns around and looks expectantly, but Clarke shakes her head. This bomb isn’t in the Intersect. She doesn’t know how to diffuse it.</p><p>“Clarke, run. I’ll try to diffuse it.”</p><p>“No. I’m not leaving you here.”</p><p>“Clarke, that is an order. Go. You have a supercomputer in your brain, and you’re too valuable to lose. Go!”</p><p>“No. I won’t just sit here and watch you die!”</p><p>Lexa pulls her gun and aims it at Clarke, “I said, go!”</p><p>“So you’re going to shoot me to keep me from dying? That makes total sense,” Clarke stands her ground.</p><p>“Why are you so stubborn?”</p><p>“Actually, I’d consider this a rare moment of bravery and partnership,” Clarke insists.</p><p>Lexa tucks her gun back into her pants, and they continue bickering. Run. No. Clarke, please. No.</p><p>The timer beeps, and draws their attention, they see it now reads 20 seconds</p><p>Clarke closes her eyes to brace for impact. 15…14…13… And Lexa’s standing there, glancing between timer and Clarke, this gorgeous girl who refuses to leave her side. And Lexa realizes something. She’s about to die and she’s never kissed Clarke in a non-cover setting. It has always been for show, and never for herself, and with her last 11 seconds on earth, she realizes that that is completely unacceptable, and launches herself onto an unsuspecting, eyes-closed Clarke.  </p><p>Clarke’s eyes fly open at the initial contact, and then she melts into the kiss.  Lexa takes a fistful of Clarke’s Buy More button up into her hand, and Clarke’s arms wrap around Lexa’s waist, pulling her as close to her body as she can manage. They keep bumping noses as they try to switch angles. Clarke feels Lexa’s tongue brush against her lower lip, and she opens her mouth to allow it more access. Lexa hums into the kiss, and Clarke feels that vibration settle itself into her bones, as if Lexa is trying to find purchase within her soul. Clarke’s hands have moved up to cup Lexa’s jaw when she and Lexa simultaneously begin to slow their desperate kisses and just barely pull away from each other. They seem to both have the same realization at the exact same time—that kiss lasted way more than ten seconds.</p><p>Their lips detach. Clarke gradually lets Lexa slip out of her arms. But they hold each other’s eyes for a few moments. Clarke notices that Lexa looks a bit afraid, having not expected a ‘moment after.’ They both turn to the bomb in confusion. The timer reads 00:00. Nothing exploded. Nothing beeped. Nothing at all.</p><p>Clarke wants to ask what just happened. Why Lexa kissed her. If it meant anything. If it hasn’t been entirely a cover for her either, but when she asks, “What happened?” Lexa responds with talk about the mission.</p><p>“I’m not sure… it just… didn’t go off?”</p><p>They cautiously approach the contraption, and as they do, they hear a depressurization hiss. The top half of the capsule lifts slightly, as cool air, much like that coming out of a freezer on a cold day, wisps its way out of the container. The capsule then lifts an additional foot and slides backwards to reveal its contents.</p><p>But instead of C4, instead of extensive wiring, instead of dynamite, it reveals a person. There’s a heart rate monitor that shows a slow beat. A thin sheen of water and ice covers much of the body. There’s a scar on the person’s chest near the heart. Both Lexa and Clarke step even closer when they both realize that their frosted friend is none other than Costia Daniels.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Clarke Vs. Truth Serum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anya and Lexa spar in the workout room of The Cave. They’re both wearing leggings, sports bras, and boxing gloves. Lexa bounces on the balls of her feet with her gloves up in front of her face. The infinity charm bounces lightly against her collarbones as Anya paces in front of her.</p><p>Anya swings a right hook. Lexa dodges it.</p><p>“So, what happened on that roof?” Anya asks, blocking Lexa’s retaliation swing.</p><p>Anya’s punch bounces off Lexa’s right glove as she says, “Nothing. We tried to disarm the bomb.” She pauses to take a few quick breaths and another swing at Anya’s stomach. “We couldn’t. Then the timer hit 0:00 and nothing happened.” Lexa puts her gloves back up, and Anya levels her own.</p><p>“Yeah, but then what,” Anya asks between heavy breaths.</p><p>Lexa takes advantage of the pause, and lands a kick into Anya’s side. “Nothing. Costia was in the capsule. We called you. CIA helicopter swooped in to bring her to a hospital.”</p><p>Anya reels back from the kick to the liver, then rights herself and lunges for Lexa’s face. Lexa dodges. “So you’re sticking with nothing happened?”</p><p>“Yup,” Lexa says, as she narrowly misses Anya’s head with an uppercut.</p><p>Anya swings and lands a punch into Lexa’s glove. “So no weird feelings coming up with your dead ex showing back up?”</p><p>“Ex?” They hear from the doorway. Lexa turns at the sound of Clarke’s voice, and Anya takes advantage to land a punch across her check bone. Lexa is knocked over, and lies splayed on the mat, cheek stinging and already beginning to swell.</p><p>“That was a cheap shot and you know it,” Lexa whines from the floor.</p><p>“Well, we’ve got a briefing in five, so get up,” Anya retorts.</p><p>Clarke walks over to Lexa and plops herself down beside her. Clarke looks her over, noticing the sheen of sweat coating her body, the tight leggings, the six-pack of abs, the rippling arm muscles, the infinity necklace, plump lips—wait what—back down at the necklace she had given her—then finally land on a red and slightly swollen cheek.</p><p>“I’ll get you some ice,” she says.</p><p>When she returns to Lexa’s side with an ice pack and gently places it on her face, Lexa looks up and smiles. Then Clarke says, “So you and Costia?” and Lexa’s smile falls.</p><p>“We were partners a few years back. We worked well together. Then she got moved to a new assignment.”</p><p>“Do you make a habit of dating your partners?” Clarke asks with a cheeky grin.</p><p>Lexa rolls her eyes and ignores the question. Instead, she stands to throw on a shirt and have a seat at the conference table with Anya and Clarke feels less comfortable asking about Lexa’s former love life in her presence.</p><p>----------------</p><p>When Beckman’s face appears on the screen, she begins with an update on Costia.</p><p>Before Clarke can interrupt her, Beckman assures the team that Costia is still recovering, and they intend to question her when she is fully conscious. Until then, they have no idea why she sent the Intersect to Clarke, how she ended up in Ark custody, or how she is still alive.</p><p>“Until we know more, we will operate as normal, and I have a mission for you,” Beckman continues.</p><p>“There’s a party amongst Silicon Valley executives coming up this weekend. One of them is developing an illegal computer virus that can wipe out a third of the country’s servers. Ms. Griffin, we need to you infiltrate the party, flash on whoever is running the operation, and get out of there.”</p><p>Clarke looks up at the screen, “I’m sorry, did you say me?”</p><p>“Yes, Ms. Griffin. Is that a problem?”</p><p>“Uh no. I just don’t think I heard which one of these two,” Clarke says, gesturing at Lexa and Anya, “is coming with me.”</p><p>“Neither. We have one invitation for this party, and you will be going in alone,” Beckman says, and then promptly hangs up.  </p><p>----------</p><p>The party is unnecessarily lavish. It’s an outdoor pool party at some tech mogul’s mansion. The champagne is endless. The infinity pool is enormous. There is no shortage of attractive women in skimpy bikinis. And the men are all in linen suits, as they write this party off as a networking event for their respective companies.</p><p>In the van, Anya and Lexa make sure Clarke is ready to enter alone. She’s given an earpiece and Lexa pins a pin camera disguised as a sunflower pin on the strap of her sundress.</p><p>“Are you guys sure I can do this?” Clarke asks as they adjust the camera settings.</p><p>“All you have to do is people watch. Maybe make a little small talk. It’ll be fine,” Anya assures.</p><p>“She’s right. We just need to identify the guy, not take him down during the party. The second you flash, you can get out of there,” Lexa adds.</p><p>Reassured, Clarke hops out of the van, invitation in hand, and walks up the short path to the party. Anya and Lexa stay in the van, eyes glued to the screens to keep an eye on her.</p><p>“You sure she’ll be alright in there?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“It’s a bunch of drunk rich computer nerds. She’ll be fine—hell she may even hit it off with one of them,” Anya says. She glances at Lexa out of the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction.</p><p>Lexa grumbles, but doesn’t say anything. They watch the screen as Clarke walks through the crowds of people. There are a few people playing casual volleyball in the pool, while others tan on floats. Most people tan on lounge chairs, sip drinks, and talk amongst themselves.</p><p>When a caterer offers Clarke an hors d’oeuvres and she takes one, Lexa turns to Anya and says, “We vetted the caterer, right? She’s not about to eat poison?”</p><p>“Chill, dude. I’ve never seen you so worked up about a mission,” Anya laughs at Lexa’s paranoia.</p><p>“We can’t let the CIA’s most important asset get hurt of killed on our watch. I’m just making sure we did our due diligence.”</p><p>“Riiiight. That’s your motivation,” Anya mocks.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lexa asks incredulously.</p><p>“Let’s just say your reputation precedes you.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lexa asks again.</p><p>“Nothing, nothing.”<br/>Lexa glares, but doesn’t push it. Instead she turns her attention back to the screen and watches the view from the pin camera. Clarke seems to have taken a seat in a lounge chair by the pool.</p><p>Clarke taps her earpiece and says, “I have a view of pretty much the entire party from here. So far no flash. A lot of eye candy though,” as she looks a waitress up and down.</p><p>Lexa grumbles. “From our intel, we know the person is a man, so you can focus on them,” she adds. Anya smirks, but doesn’t say anything.</p><p>After thirty minutes of people watching, the team starts to give up. “I haven’t seen anything worth flashing on,” Clarke complains.</p><p>“We know he’s here. Maybe you should mingle,” Anya suggests.</p><p>“Should I go inside?” Clarke asks, but is immediately answered by Lexa. “No. If anything goes wrong inside, it’ll be much harder for us to intervene. Wait until he comes outside.”</p><p>“Stop talking to us now—you’ll look crazy,” Anya adds unhelpfully.</p><p>A man in a pink polo shirt, khaki shorts, and Sperry’s approaches Clarke with a glass of champagne in each hand. As soon as Clarke sees his face, her vision blurs and images flood her vision. An MIT diploma. Global Cyberlympics competition medals. A former criminal charge for hacking into a federal database. The Morris Worm virus. A government payoff. And finally, a partially complete C++ malware code.</p><p>When Clarke’s vision clears, the man is right in front of her and asks, “What is a girl as pretty as you doing here sitting all alone?”</p><p>Clarke smiles and replies, “Waiting for a nice cool drink.”</p><p>He extends his second champagne glass to Clarke, and introduces himself, “I’m James.”</p><p>“Claire”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Claire”</p><p>“Likewise,” she says, secretly internally screaming. This is the man trying to erase one third of the world’s servers. Her handlers are in the van. And he’s too close to her to ask for help without looking completely insane for talking to herself or blowing her cover. She starts fiddling with her champagne flute, bumping it against her sunflower pin a few times.</p><p>In the van, the glass obstructs the camera view and also causes the small mic to loudly crash and boom in the van’s monitor speakers. “Griffin, you idiot,” Anya says, “put the damn glass down.”</p><p>Clarke hopes they understood her distress call, as she’s forced to make small talk with James. He talks about his company and a few more recent projects. He barely lets her get a word in edgewise so she continue to sip her champagne, and notices a slight headache and dizziness coming on. When did she become such a lightweight? She tries to shake it off to clear her head, but only succeeds in increasing the wooziness.</p><p>“What was the name of the virus you’re working on?” Clarke asks.</p><p>His face looks surprised. “Virus? I never said anything about a virus.”</p><p>Shit. Clarke realizes she may have just blown her cover.</p><p>“Remind me again how you go the invite to this party,” James asks in a cool anger.</p><p>“My boss gave it to me as an assignment,” Clarke says. What the fuck, Clarke? Why are you spilling all of your secrets?</p><p>In the van, Anya and Lexa have a similar reaction, until Lexa says, “She must have been made. She’s been drugged.”  Lexa starts getting ready to extract Clarke from the party. She shoves an earpiece in her ear, and practically leaps out of the van and sprints into the party. “See, Commander? Totally have the hots for his particular asset,” Anya says to herself.  </p><p>“I knew there was something suspicious about you talking to yourself on that chair,” James says. “Why don’t we continue this little conversation inside?”</p><p>Once in the party, Lexa sticks out like a sore thumb. She’s wearing a black tank top and black jeans instead of the summery vibe everyone else is currently sporting. When a tray of champagne flutes passes by, Lexa grabs one, and downs the entire thing in two gulps, then frantically searches the crowd for Clarke, listening intently to her conversation for clues of where to find her.</p><p>“I’m really not interested,” Clarke insists.</p><p>“No, really. I insist. Let’s take this inside.”</p><p>Clarke raises her voice in an attempt to draw the attention of some other women when she says, “I’ve got a girlfriend actually.”</p><p>“Looking for a third?” He asks with a smarmy smile. He grabs Clarke by the waist and starts ushering her towards to house.</p><p>“I’m really not,” Clarke asserts.</p><p>“It’s true, we’re really not,” Lexa says and she slides to Clarke’s side, placing a firm arm around her shoulders.</p><p>“Oh thank god,” Clarke says unintentionally. Seriously? Why is every thought she has just falling out of her mouth with no filter?</p><p>Lexa twists James’ wrist off of Clarke’s waist. “Touch my girlfriend again without her consent and I’ll cut it off next time. We’ll be going now. And James, don’t even think about following us,” Lexa says, steering Clarke towards the exit.</p><p>When Anya sees them walking down the road, she opens the backdoor of the van for them, then climbs into the driver’s seat.</p><p>“What the fuck happened in there Woods?”</p><p>“We were drugged,” Lexa states matter-of-factly.</p><p>“We?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Yeah, we. It must have been in all of the champagne. Probably Sodium Pentathol.”</p><p>------</p><p>The agree to recover at Lexa’s place, with Anya there too to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t spill government secrets to the pizza delivery man and to ensure the drug wasn’t laced with anything else that may harm them.</p><p>They lay Clarke, who is still too out of it to fully function, on the couch, then try to talk game plan and next steps for making sure James’ virus is never finished.</p><p>Clarke doesn’t participate in the planning, but that does not mean she has been quiet. A stream of “Your ass looks great in those jeans”, “Can I sleep in your bed with you?”, “God, you’re so pretty”, and other compliments tumble out of Clarke’s mouth.</p><p>Lexa reddens with each new addition and Anya tries her best not to laugh out loud. By the time they have a new plan, and have updated Beckman, it’s time for bed. Lexa offers Clarke a pair of boxers and an Air Force T-shirt to sleep in, and when Clarke pads back into the room wearing it, Lexa can’t stop herself from saying, “You look good in my shirt.”</p><p>Clarke pauses at the compliment, then asks, “You were drugged too, right?”</p><p>“Yeah?” Lexa replies.</p><p>“So you’re also under the influence?”</p><p>“Yes…” Lexa trails off.</p><p>“So I have the unique opportunity to ask you a few questions, and you wouldn’t be able to lie to me, right?” Clarke presses on.</p><p>“Technically speaking… yes…”</p><p>Clarke takes a deep breath to steady herself before asking, “Did that kiss mean anything then?”</p><p>Lexa plays dumb. “What kiss?”</p><p>“The rooftop. We thought we were about to explode. I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew your lips were on mine. Then we didn’t die, my ex-nemesis and your just ex showed up, and we’ve pretending like nothing happened. I’ve replayed it over and over again. I know it happened, right?”</p><p>“It happened.”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“And what?” Lexa says, dodging the question.</p><p>“And did it mean anything? Was that real? Is this thing maybe more than a cover for you?”</p><p>This time, Lexa takes a steadying breath and clenches her fist by her side before saying “No,” and Clarke feels that answer like a kick to the chest. “No?” she asks.</p><p>“No. It didn’t mean anything,” Lexa replies. She looks down at her feet, refusing to look Clarke in the eyes.</p><p>Clarke’s voice cracks as she says, “Got it,” and wills the tears not to fall from her eyes. They well up, and Clarke squeezes her eyes shut to force them back down. She takes another deep breath to force herself to change the subject and ask another question.</p><p>“What about Polaris? Is there anything you know that you aren’t telling me?”</p><p>“I don’t know anything about Polaris. I’m learning about it with you, Clarke.”</p><p>“Okay. I just had to know where we stood. Figured I’d never get you as honest as you would be now. I’m going to head to bed…” Clarke says as she walks out of the living room, nearly bumping into Anya on her way out.</p><p>Anya takes a seat on the couch and stares at Lexa, waiting for her to speak.</p><p>“How much of that did you hear?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“Enough,” Anya says. She peers down the hallway to check that Clarke is out of earshot. “It’s a good thing CIA training includes building tolerance to truth serum, huh?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this might end up being more than 20 chapters... oops?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Clarke Vs. The Break Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke and Raven sit at the Nerd Herd Help Desk as the hours drag on.</p><p>“I think I’m going to ask Anya out,” Raven breaks the silence.</p><p>“Really? Have you gotten her to say more than a grunt to you?”</p><p>“Occasionally I get actual words. Maybe an eyeroll when I say something dirty.”</p><p>“So you’ve decided now is the best time to make your move because…?”</p><p>“I don’t know. I’m just tired of waiting for it. Might as well shoot my shot. Besides, she and Lexa are good friends, right?” She waits for Clarke’s nod of confirmation. “We could double!”</p><p>Clarke shrugs, “I don’t know how long me and Lexa are going to last, Ray.”</p><p>“Whoa, what?!” Raven jumps.</p><p>“I don’t know, something has just seemed off recently. I think she’s losing interest,” Clarke avoids Raven’s gaze and stares down at the stapler on her desk.</p><p>Raven tries to formulate an answer, and is still mulling over the right words in her head when Lexa walks to the Nerd Herd Help Desk props herself on her elbows and dings the bell. Raven and Clarke jump, not having heard her come up. She laughs, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just have a bit of time before my lunch break is over, and I have a surprise for you,” she says pointing at Clarke.</p><p>Raven throws Clarke a skeptical look, then loudly whispers in her ear, “Yeah, she’s totally lost interest!” Raven rolls her eyes one more time for good measure, but clears out of the Nerd Herd booth to give them some space to talk.</p><p>“What was that about?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“It’s nothing,” Clarke lies, “tell me about this surprise.”</p><p>Lexa fishes two tickets out of the breast pocket of her button up. “You and me. Natural History. Museum of Los Angeles. Gala. Tonight.”</p><p>“Whoa! Really?! I’ve always wanted to go to one of their fancy events!”</p><p>Lexa smiles, “I know, that’s why I argued my way to having you be on the mission with me.”</p><p>If the words Natural History Museum got Clarke’s wheels turning, the word mission brings them to an immediate halt. This is not a date. This is a mission. One that she wasn’t even privy to the briefing for.</p><p>“What’s the mission?”</p><p>“The Ark is trying to smuggle illegal weapons through the museum. Artifacts are treated differently in customs, so it’s easier to get things through. We received a tip from a museum employee that their most recent exhibit shipment had a few more boxes than usual, so we’re going in to extract the extraneous artifacts before The Ark does.” Lexa throws air quotes around the work artifacts.</p><p>“Meet after work to get ready?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Of course. I’ll pick you up when your shift ends,” Lexa replies. She leans in to give Clarke a kiss on the cheek, then heads back to the lab.  </p><p>Raven pops up next to Clarke once Lexa is gone, and asks, “So what did Ms. Lost Interest want?”</p><p>“She got us tickets to the Natural History Gala.”</p><p>“How the hell did she score those?! You don’t get that kind of invite unless you donate a dinosaur to the museum!”</p><p>------------</p><p>Clarke and Lexa get ready for the event in Lexa’s apartment. Lexa has procured yet another elegant evening gown for Clarke. Lexa is, once again, in a nicely tailored suit that accentuates her legs and broad shoulders. Getting ready for missions together has become routine. Lexa hides a few weapons in her suit, Clarke helps straighten her bowtie, Lexa zips Clarke’s dress, and Clarke runs through the plan for the evening.</p><p>Their cover names are Alexandria Ward and Clarke Geryon, a young couple both from money. They are attending the benefit of behalf of their wealthy parents. Conversations should be kept vague and superficial so no one realizes they should not be there. To avoid engaging in too many conversations with others, they are supposed to play the very-in-love-couple who only have eyes for each other, and thus cannot be bothered to converse with anyone else. They will attend the gala, wine, dine, and eventually sneak out to the curator’s quarters to identify and remove whatever The Ark has smuggled in.</p><p>Anya drops them off in front of the museum in a government-loaned Jaguar XJ, then pulls the car into a nearby lot to await their extraction call. “Call when you have what you need, and I’ll come to whatever entrance or exit is most convenient.”</p><p>“Thanks Colonel,” Lexa says as she steps out of the back seat and offers an arm to Clarke, who eagerly grabs it for extra balance in the heels she’s stuck wearing.  </p><p>They enter the gala, and find their place cards at a table near the triceratops head. To the casual observer, the two wander around the standing much too close to each other to be considered approachable. Or professional. They whisper in each other’s ears and giggle. Their hands aren’t disentwined for longer than it takes to feed the other hors-d’oeuvres from a passing waiter. Their smiles are genuine and the loving looks the two share are endearing, and so the other gala guests leave the young couple be, despite their desire to network the event. Lexa enjoys their solitude, and continues whispering jokes just to make the blonde smile.</p><p>To the trained spy, however, their proximity to each other is nothing more than a defense mechanism to prevent others from talking to them and distracting them from a mission. Their observation of the exhibit is nothing more than casing the location. The whispers and giggles are conversations about the other patrons and looking for additional threats. Clarke, now painfully aware of how Lexa feels about her, reads every gesture and joke as just another part of the cover.</p><p>When the band starts to play, Lexa invites Clarke onto the dance floor.</p><p>“Are you having fun?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“Since when is fun a mission priority?” Clarke asks in return.</p><p>Clarke’s brusque answer takes Lexa aback for a moment. “It’s usually not. I just know how much you’ve wanted to go to one of these events.”</p><p>Clarke lets out a resigned sigh before agreeing, “It’s a pretty great mission.” She settles a bit more into Lexa’s arms as they dance and Lexa lets out a contented hum.</p><p>Lexa and Clarke lightly sway on the dance floor. Clarke’s head rests on Lexa’s shoulder as Lexa continues to survey to room for pertinent information. As Lexa twirls Clarke into a dip and then back into her arms, a floor plan map catches Clarke’s eye, and her vision begins to blur. Lexa feels Clarke’s balance falter and grips her tighter in her arms to keep her upright as museum maps. Inventory lists of museum exhibits. Bone catalogs. Fossil casts and molds. An archaeology company logo. Vials of chemical weapons. And The Ark money laundering through archaeology sites all flash before Clarke’s eyes.</p><p>When her vision clears, and she regains her balance fully, Lexa’s arms loosen around her as she asks, “What did you flash on?”</p><p>“The floor plan. The weapons have been smuggled in as fossils—there are vials of chemical weapons inside the fake bones.”</p><p>“Lead the way,” Lexa answers, entwining their fingers as Clarke leads them down the Under the Sea exhibit.</p><p>As they walk down the exhibit hall, Lexa practices a speech in her head. Clarke, I lied.</p><p>“Did you know Boxer Crabs wear sea anemones on their hands to protect themselves?” Clarke asks, reading off a sign in the exhibit.</p><p>Lexa jolts from her internal monolog—“I did not know that. Do you have any squid facts for me?”</p><p>Clarke looks back at Lexa and smiles, “Not yet, but I’ll see what I can do.” She lets go of Lexa’s hand and slows their pace as they walk through the hall, actually taking time to read plaques and look at diagrams and aquariums.</p><p>Lexa returns to her rehearsal. Clarke, I lied. Pentathol resistance is part of our training, and I lied. Of course this is more tha—</p><p>“A squid can fit through any hole larger than its beak,” Clarke says, pointing at a wall poster about squids that accompanies a giant squid model dangling from the ceiling.</p><p>Lexa is again pulled from her practice speech, and joins Clarke to read more about her favorite animal.</p><p>They hear footsteps down the hallway, and Clarke frantically looks to Lexa for what to do. If they get caught in a restricted area before they can find the artifact, they’ll be thrown out of the party before they have a chance to complete their mission, and Clarke starts to regret her decision to actually explore the museum.</p><p>“Shit,” Clarke says in a harsh whisper.</p><p>Before Clarke can fully process what’s happening, Lexa crowds into Clarke’s space and pushes her against the wall. Their bodies flush together as Lexa buries her face in Clarke’s neck and start kissing her pulse point. Clarke’s head rolls back into the wall with a light thud, and Lexa’s worried face appears before her to cradle it before turning her attention back to her neck. Clarke’s hands fly to tangle themselves into Lexa’s hair, and the footsteps are all but forgotten until they hear a deep throat clearing, and Lexa whips around.</p><p>“You ladies shouldn’t be back here.”</p><p>Lexa blushes and tries to look sheepish. “Sorry, sir. I um… we… got a little carried away.”</p><p>“Ma’am, please head back to the party,” the security guard says shaking his head.</p><p>“Will do. Sorry again, sir,” Lexa replies. He walks away to give them a few moments to look presentable.</p><p>“He’ll probably be back in a few minutes to make sure we left. We should get to the preservation room before he comes back.”</p><p>“Quick thinking. He was definitely too uncomfortable to think we were here for anything other than sneaking off to make out,” Clarke tells Lexa, although still replaying the way Lexa’s body fit against hers.</p><p>Lexa gives Clarke a curt nod. “I’ve been doing this a long time.”</p><p>Right. She’s been trained to be believable. Clarke shakes her head in attempt to clear it, and pushes herself off the wall. “Preservation room is this way,” she says, leading Lexa down the hallway towards a door labeled “Employees Only.”</p><p>They reach the door with a keypad and Lexa pulls a device out of her pocket and connects it to the keypad. It scans through thousands of numbers before reading 103119#. Lexa taps it into the keypad, and the door unlocks as they slip into the storage room.</p><p>There’s a large crate with the same logo from Clarke’s flash on it, and she makes her way to the crate, asking Lexa to help her open it.</p><p>Once open, Clarke and Lexa see a crate full of large and small dinosaur bones, each pressed into foam for safety in shipping. Clarke picks them up and immediately starts pressing each one to her tongue.</p><p>“Clarke! What are you doing?!” Lexa whisper yells.</p><p>“Bonthes sthick to your tongue,” she says pulling a bone off her tongue. “Real bones are porous enough that they stick to your tongue, but any fake ones won’t. I’m figuring out which ones have our weapons in them.”</p><p>“Why do you know that?!”</p><p>“Did you never watch Bones?”</p><p>“No?? But that’s… brilliant,” Lexa says with more affection than she intended.</p><p>“Well, start licking. There’s only so much time before that security guard realizes we never came back to the party.”</p><p>Against her better judgment, Lexa starts licking the bones that Clarke hasn’t already, and finds one large femur-shaped piece doesn’t stick to her tongue. Without second thought, Clarke picks up a hammer from a nearby table and smashes it to find a stainless steel vial with a chemical hazard sticker.</p><p>“What if you had been wrong?” Lexa asks disbelievingly.</p><p>“I wasn’t!” Clarke says with an air of cockiness that almost rivals Anya’s.</p><p>“What if the vial had been glass?”</p><p>“Let’s just be glad it wasn’t and maybe skip over the part where I recklessly smashed it in our report to Beckman?”</p><p>They find three more not-bone fossils, and carefully retrieve the vials from them, then hide them in Clarke’s clutch. They call Anya and ask her to meet them at the back entrance, Anya reverses the Jaguar into place, and lets Clarke and Lexa shuffle into the back seat. They give Anya a brief summary of the mission and what they found, then place the vials into a locked briefcase to be delivered to The Cave. Before going there, Anya drops them off at Lexa’s to change before Clarke heads back home. </p><p>----------------</p><p>In The Cave, Anya dials Beckman’s number and waits for her to answer. She gives her a summary of the mission, shows the briefcase full of chemical weapons, and assures her that a full report will be on her desk in the next 24 hours. </p><p>Beckman thanks her for the update, nods, and is about to hang up, when Anya asks, “Since I have you alone, permission to ask about the Intersect project, sir” </p><p>“Go on.”</p><p>“How is the Intersect 2.0 project progressing?”</p><p>“Polaris is nearly finished with the Intersect update. Once it is complete, your initial mission will still stand.” </p><p>“Sir, if I may, Griffin has been invaluable in some of our missions—not just as the intersect, but as a computer scientist. Is there no way she can be trained into being an analyst instead?” </p><p>Beckman sighs and takes off her glasses, “Colonel Forrest, once this new intersect is ready, you will have to eliminate Ms. Griffin. There is no way around it.” Beckman hangs up, leaving Anya in the silence of The Cave. </p><p>----------------</p><p>While Clarke changes into normal clothes, Lexa rethinks the evening—the dancing, Clarke finding squid facts, how it felt to be pressed against her, Clarke’s brilliant tactic for figuring out where the vials were hidden--- and practices her speech one more time. Clarke, I lied. Pentathol resistance is part of our training, and I lied. Of course this is more than a cover. But she doesn’t have time to finish before Clarke emerges and asks if she’s ready to go.</p><p>Lexa pulls up to Clarke’s apartment, and starts to walk her to her front door.</p><p>“I still can’t believe you licked a bunch of millions of years old fossils,” Lexa laughs.</p><p>“You did too! And it worked, didn’t it? Don’t underestimate me,” Clarke jokes back.</p><p>The tone shifts from light and fun to more serious when Lexa counters with, “I promise to never underestimate you again, Clarke Griffin.”</p><p>They share a long look, and both have a seat on the bench near Clarke’s door when Clarke says, “Lexa, we need to talk” and Lexa says, “Yeah, I have something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about too.”</p><p>“You go first,” Clarke says.</p><p>“No, you,” Lexa insists.</p><p>Clarke acquiesces, “Lexa, I’m crazy about you. I have been since the moment you walked into the Buy More and pretended to need help with your phone, and even more since you have literally saved my life repeatedly. And I know you don’t feel the same way–”</p><p>Lexa tries to interrupt.</p><p>“Wait let me finish. I know you don’t feel the same way, but sometimes it just feels so real. The dates. You with my family. The way you keep your hand on my back on missions to make me feel safe. I just– it feels like you’re mine. You’ve had me since day one, but I’m never going to get that with you”</p><p>Lexa starts to interrupt again but Clarke levels her with a look.</p><p>“One day I’m going to get this thing out of my head. Not tomorrow, but hopefully soon, and then I want a normal life. I want a normal job. I don’t want date night to be a mission. I want the real thing. I want the partner that actually loves me, not just for a cover. I want the house and kids. I want the normal thing, but as amazing as you are Lexa Woods, you will never be normal, and I can’t keep lying to myself and saying we might be. I can’t do this fake girlfriend thing anymore. I think I need to try and find normal.”</p><p>Lexa swallows the lump in her throat and forces herself to say, “I understand, Clarke.”</p><p>“We have to break up,” Clarke says softly, and this time it’s Lexa who fights back the sinking feeling in her stomach and the burning behind her eyes.</p><p>Lexa watches Clarke enter her apartment, then in a daze, makes it back to her car.</p><p>------------</p><p>Clarke barely has time to take of her shoes before Octavia appears and says, “How was your date?”</p><p>Octavia takes a moment to look at Clarke’s red-rimmed eyes, before Clarke bursts into tears and says, “We broke up.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“We just wanted different things,” Clarke lies.</p><p>“Oh, honey…” Octavia pulls Clarke into her arms for a hug as she lets every emotion she has felt since Lexa said “No” pour out of her.</p><p>When the tears have slowed, Octavia tries to offer some comfort, “I don’t understand. I’ve seen the way that girl looks at you. How could she not want something serious?”</p><p>But Clarke just shrugs, sworn to secrecy by government agents. For a fake relationship, the breakup sure as hell feels real.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Clarke Vs. The Ex</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke makes her way down the Cave steps and towards the conference table, only to be stopped in her tracks by what she sees there waiting for her. Anya, as usual, uses this time to disassemble and clean some of the weapons from the weapons wall. Lexa sits ramrod straight in the seat across from Anya, and there’s a new but familiar figure in the seat next to Lexa.</p><p>Costia. Clarke’s college best friend turned nemesis is sitting in her usual seat next to Lexa. Although, given their recent break up, maybe it’s not so bad that her seat is taken. Lexa says something Clarke can’t quite hear from the distance, and Costia laughs and grabs Lexa’s forearm. Clarke bristles at the touch, and clenches a fist by her side, then continues down the stairs.</p><p>When she hits the last few steps, the three at the conference table look up. Costia is the first to speak when she says, “So I take it you got my e-mail?”</p><p>Clarke is filled with immediate rage. Her entire world has been flipped upside down. She’s lying to her friends and family, her best friends think she blew them off repeatedly for a good lay, Lexa charmed her way into her heart and then stomped on it, and she’s forced to do the governments bidding because there’s accidentally a supercomputer in her brain. Not to mention her nemesis is here and flirting with Lexa! She erupts, “YEAH. WHAT THE FUCK MAN?!”</p><p>Costia is initially taken aback by the rage, but answers, “I was trying to make up for Stanford.”</p><p>Clarke stutters, “M- make, make up for Stanford?! You mean when you lied to get me thrown out of school and completely ruined my life?”</p><p>Costia grimaces, “Still a sore subject I see.”</p><p>“Hell yeah it’s still a sore subject! I was acing that class, why would I have needed to steal tests? Why would you of all people be the one to do that to me?!”</p><p>Costia turns to Anya and Lexa. “She doesn’t know, does she?”</p><p>“Don’t look at them. Look at me. Don’t know what?” Clarke seethes.</p><p>“Our compsci professor? Dr. Proctor? He’s a CIA recruiter, and one of the main computer scientists behind the Intersect Project. And you were the top of his list for recruitment.”</p><p>Clarke gapes at Costia, opening and closing her mouth a few times, but no words come out, so Costia continues.</p><p>“I knew O would kill me if you died in the testing phase of the experiment. Or even if you just became CIA. You’re a good guy, Clarke. You weren’t meant to be trained to kill.”</p><p>Clarke experiences a flashback of Octavia and Costia hitting it off when O came to visit them at Stanford from Berkley. A new wave of rage rises in Clarke as she think of how deep Costia’s betrayal went. She’s beginning to doubt Costia’s assessment of her not being meant to kill, as the desire to kill Costia herself rises in the back of her mind.</p><p>Costia continues, “The project lead even requested I keep you off of the project.”</p><p>“Then why would you send it to me now!” Clarke yells.</p><p>“Because, you’re a good guy, Clarke. You’re the only person I felt I could trust completely.”</p><p>“The feeling is not mutual,” Clarke snarks back.</p><p>Costia shrugs, “I deserve that. I was just following Polaris’ orders.”</p><p>The name Polaris sets Clarke off in a new direction. “So you know who he is?”</p><p>“Not in person, no. We only communicated through encrypted e-mails. I don’t even know that man’s real name,” Costia explains.</p><p>Clarke finally takes a seat next to Anya, and grumbles, “Right when I think you might be able to redeem yourself…  Fan-freaking-tastic.”</p><p>Costia glances at Lexa, hoping she’ll back her up so Clarke can start to forgive her. They haven’t spoken since their fake-relationship-break-up, so Lexa’s first words since that night are, “She was trying to protect you, Clarke. And tried to rectify it when she had the chance. That’s why she sent you the Intersect.”</p><p>Clarke isn’t convinced, and the fact that Lexa sided with Costia instead of her just adds salt to the wound of both situations. Instead of letting the tears fall from her eyes, she bites back at Lexa, “Oh good. Take her side. Now that she’s back, you two can pick up where you left off.”</p><p>Lexa visibly recoils from Clarke’s words. She slides her arms off the table and into her lap, pulling imaginary lint off of her pants. She concentrates on her breathing, so no one sees the shake in her breath that comes right before crying. Costia glances between the two of them, clearly missing something.</p><p>Before she has the time to ask, Indra Beckman’s face appears on the screen ahead of them, and they all welcome the distraction from the tense silence.</p><p>“Good afternoon Team Intersect. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Agent Daniels is fully recovered and ready for duty. She has passed all physical and mental status exams, so will be taking her rightful place in the team as Lexa’s partner.”</p><p>At that, Costia throws an arm around Lexa’s shoulders and gently kisses her cheek. “Just like old times.”</p><p>Clarke crosses her arms and scowls at the two, while Lexa’s eyes remain glued to the screen waiting for mission details.</p><p>Beckman continues, “You are attending an embassy party as a protective detail for Luís Fonseca, Ambassador of Portugal. Costia, Lexa, you’ll be attending as his guards, but also party guests. To blend in, you will attend as a couple. You will be seated near him, and when he and his wife dance, you will as well. At all times, you must be within 10 feet of him.”</p><p>Clarke squeezes her eyes shut and silently repeats: Please let me stay in the van. Please let me stay in the van. Please let me stay in the van.  </p><p>“Ms. Griffin.” Clarke opens her eyes. “You have proven to be useful in the venue with your flashes and quick thinking. This time, you will be attending as a waitress. Serve wine, and scan the party for anything that may cause a flash—other guests, food, speeches, music, etcetera.”</p><p>Clarke nods, and promises herself that while Costia and Lexa must be no more than ten feet away from the ambassador, she will have a minimum of ten feet between herself and Lexa and Costia.</p><p>“Colonel Forrest, you’ll be serving as a bartender. Talk to as many guests as you can, and make sure you have a clear shot at everyone in the room who may threaten Ambassador Fonseca.”</p><p>When the team has no further questions, Clarke dismisses herself to go get grab some lunch before the start of her shift.  </p><p>----------------</p><p>Clarke pushes the door of Knuckle Sandwich open and stands in the short line while reading the menu. As she shuffles forward, still undecided for what she wants, she catches a glimpse of the girl taking orders. She’s tall, blonde, and passably attractive. Still sizzling from Lexa taking Costia’s side, and seeing Costia shamelessly flirt with her, Clarke decides it’s okay for her to do a little flirting as well.</p><p>“What can I get for you?” the girl asks.</p><p>“You seem like someone with refined tastes, what do you recommend?” Clarke answers with a smile.</p><p>“The turkey’s good. And I baked all of the bread fresh this morning,” the girl says back.</p><p>“I like a girl who’s good with her hands,” Clarke says, not breaking the eye contact.</p><p>The girl blushes, and Clarke thinks she hasn’t quite lost her touch. “I’ll take a turkey sandwich with arugula, fresh mozzarella, asiago cheese, and pesto please. On ciabatta bread, thanks.”</p><p>“Coming right up!” the girl says. Clarke watches her assemble the sandwich neatly, write a quick note on the wrapper, then ring Clarke up at the register.</p><p>Clarke fishes her card out of her pocket protector, and says, “It was nice to meet you…” she pauses to glance at the nametag, “Niylah.”</p><p>Niylah does the same, replying with, “You too, Clarke.”</p><p>With only a few minutes before her shift starts, Clarke speed walks back to the Nerd Herd desk where she finally has a chance to look at her sandwich. She sees a small note scribbled on the side. What Clarke had thought was a note that pesto costs extra was a phone number.</p><p>“Call Me 213-800-7787 -Niylah” The i in Niylah is dotted with a heart. Clarke smiles to herself. She does still have it. Even if Lexa doesn’t want it.</p><p>Clarke has just taken another rather large bite of sandwich when Raven comes racing into store in a full sprint. She’s practically gasping for air when she gets to the Nerd Herd desk and says, “Clarke, are you sitting down?”</p><p>“Ray, you can clearly see the stool I’m sitting down in while I finish my lunch.”</p><p>“I had to be sure. Because what I just saw will knock you straight on your ass.”</p><p>“Uh huh,” Clarke says, somewhat disinterested.</p><p>Raven gestures from her eyes to Clarke’s eyes with two fingers. “Clarke are you looking at me? Look me in the eyes.”</p><p>Clarke glances up from her meal as Raven says, “I just saw Lexa with Costia. Your Lexa, well ex-Lexa, with your nemesis Costia. Brain. Exploding,” miming her mind exploding out of her head.</p><p>Clarke looks up, and to Raven’s shock, isn’t equally mindblown. “Why aren’t you freaking out about this?”</p><p>“Because in a sick twist of fate, I found out that Lexa and Costia used to date.”</p><p>“They WHAT?!”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Raven paces in front of the help desk starting sentences that never finish, “Is she? How did? Is this? Why?” Raven pauses, coming to a realization she hopes is wrong. “Is that why you two broke up?”</p><p>Clarke doesn’t answer immediately, trying to figure out what the best reason to break up a fake relationship might be. Raven takes her silence as a yes, “That bitch. I’m going to kill her. She ruined your life and now took the love of your life? Oh hell no.”</p><p>“Lexa wasn’t—” but Raven cuts Clarke off with a glare. “Come on, Clarke. I’ve never seen you look at another human like that.”</p><p>The crushing feeling returns to Clarke’s chest, and Raven fears she may have said too much. “You know what, I’ll get Anya to kill her. She looks like she’s probably killed before, and that way I don’t go to prison,” Raven says, grabbing Clarke’s hand in support. Clarke laughs, and takes the last bite of her sandwich.</p><p>“I did get a cute girl’s number today,” Clarke tries to boast.</p><p>“Atta girl! Back on the horse. Clam?” Raven says right before getting hit for being gross.</p><p>Their Buy More shift if busier than usual, and Clarke welcomes the distraction of computers to fix instead of dwelling over her breakup, if she should call Niylah (are CIA agents allowed to date? Seems risky), and the inevitable dread of watching Lexa go on a mission date with her nemesis.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>They get ready in The Cave. With the addition of a fourth person, Lexa’s apartment feels too crowded, so they opt to spread out in the base. Four outfits are placed on the conference table, one for each member of the team. Clarke is dressed in a white shirt and black slacks as a waitress. Anya is dressed similarly, but with the addition of a black vest for her bartender role. A deep red evening gown and a tuxedo are left of the table for Costia and Lexa. Clarke laments the fact that Costia gets to wear what appears to be a very fancy and sexy dress, while Clarke is in a unisex waitress uniform.  </p><p>When Anya and Clarke leave the main room to get wired up with comms for the mission, Lexa and Costia change, strapping weapons to their thighs, tucking knives in their hair, and sliding guns into various pockets. When Clarke is finished getting her mic and walkie set up, she heads back to the conference room to find Costia tying a bowtie in front of the mirror... which means….</p><p>Lexa emerges from the side room in an elegant red dress that hits her at the ankles. There’s a slit running up the side of it revealing one very long very toned leg. She’s wearing heels that make her legs look even longer. The dress dips down her chest in a way that is both modest and revealing. And the open back shows an expanse of tanned muscles Clarke can’t pull her eyes away from.</p><p>“Are you and Anya ready to go?” Lexa asks, finally turning to look at Clarke.</p><p>The wing tipped eyeliner and smoky eye shadow make her look intense and alluring, and Clarke cannot pull her eyes away. Or form words.</p><p>“Clarke?” She asks again, cocking her head in confusion.</p><p>“Hm?” Clarke replies, still not blinking. Still not tearing her eyes away from Lexa in that dress.</p><p>“Are you ready?”</p><p>“I… uh. I’ve never seen you in a dress before,” Clarke says dumbly.</p><p>Costia answers this time, but Clarke’s eyes still don’t leave Lexa, “Yeah well the whole bullet to the chest thing kind of ruins the low-cut look for me, so I got the suit today.”</p><p>Clarke nods and unable to stop herself lets slip, “You look incredible.”</p><p>Lexa blushes, but Anya interrupts before she can respond, “Get your staring in now, numbnuts. Once we’re in there, we’re wait staff and don’t know these people.”</p><p>Clarke glares at Anya but follows her to the van. They drive to the embassy in relative silence. As wait staff, Anya and Clarke go in first to help set up the venue. Once the party starts, Lexa and Costia enter as guests.</p><p>-----------------<br/>Costia and Lexa have a seat at the table with the ambassador and his wife. They make idle small talk, and remind him to keep close and let them know if he decides to go anywhere so they can still offer their protective detail.</p><p>When Fonseca and his wife head to the dancefloor, Lexa and Costia follow in tow. It’s a slow waltz song, and couples gently sway together. Clarke watches as Costia and Lexa settle into a close embrace, their cheeks touching, as they whisper to each other as old lovers do. Clarke squeezes her champagne bottle a little tighter and continues to walk the room, looking for something to flash on.</p><p>While Lexa and Costia dance, Costia asks, “So what’s the deal with you and my old roommate?”</p><p>“There is no deal,” Lexa says, trying to remain professional. She takes the lead in their dancing to spin them slowly so they can get a 360 view of the venue.</p><p>“You like her, don’t you?”</p><p>Lexa avoids the question and instead answers, “There are three possible exits in this place. One north, one west, and another south.”</p><p>“Come on, Lex. You forget we used to date. And I can tell that you’re not as into all of this as you used to be,” Costia gestures up and down her own body in jest.</p><p>Lexa snorts a laugh. “We had our time. Not meant to be. It was fun though,” she concedes.</p><p>“But you and Clarke?”</p><p>Lexa takes a deep breath, “She broke up with me, so it doesn’t really matter.”</p><p>“You were together for real? How’d you mess that up?”</p><p>“No, it was for the cover. An explanation for where she goes at night and why I’m around.”</p><p>“And let me guess, you never told her it was also more than that and she assumed you’re just a good spy,” Costia presses.</p><p>“I wanted to. But she wants normal. She doesn’t want this life. I can’t do that to her. She’s special—she deserves more than that.”</p><p>Costia nods, then looks around and realizes that the ambassador and his wife are further than they should be. “We need to dance our way back to our assignment, clear some space so we have a bigger radius.”</p><p>Clarke looks over at the couple just as the music tempo changes to a livelier lambada and Costia pulls Lexa even closer as they sway their hips to the music. Costia’s hand runs up Lexa’s leg as she throws it over her own hip, and Clarke’s eyebrows shoot up. Lexa is dragged into a near split in the dance before Costia rights her again and her hand settles on her ass.</p><p>They settle in nearer to the ambassador, but with the crowd, Costia picks Lexa up in a series of lifts and spins to give them a bit more breathing room. To Clarke, it seems that Costia just needs the excuse to put her hands on Lexa. She watches the couple dance as she pours champagne for various guests whose flutes have been running low.</p><p>Costia twirls Lexa so her back is pressed to her front and begins a grind. When Costia’s hands begin to roam up and down Lexa’s body, Clarke’s jaw drops, and a permanent scowl crosses her face. She completely forgets that she’s pouring a drink as she turns and pours in directly into a man’s lap.</p><p>“Oi! What do you think you’re doing? Pay attention!” the man yells at Clarke.</p><p>“Oh my goodness I am so sorry sir,” Clarke apologizes. She grabs a napkin and starts attempting to dry off his pants before realizing dab drying a stranger’s crotch is generally frowned upon. When she looks up to his face for a second apology, her vision blurs.</p><p>Luís Fonseca’s election opponent. Rigged election results. Interference from the US government. Schematics of the embassy building. A gun with a silencer. A payoff for an assassination attempt.</p><p>When her vision clears, the man is still yelling at her, as she scampers away to get a replacement bottle of champagne, stopping briefly to watch the dancefloor, new bottle in hand. At this point, a large circle has cleared around Lexa and Costia as they dance, still wildly close to each other.</p><p>As Costia bends Lexa over backwards, and runs her hands up her back and her face up her chest, another waiter nudges Clarke’s arm to say, “Get a room, right?”</p><p>Clarke forces an uncomfortable smile, then turns her attention back to the dancing duo. When Costia finally pulls Lexa up from her final dip, she grabs her cheek and kisses her. Clarke watches Lexa slip her tongue into Costia’s mouth, and the surprise makes her drop the bottle, which shatters into a mess of wet puddle and glass shards.</p><p>The man she had just spilled on accosts her almost immediately, “Are you an idiot?”</p><p>“No sir,” Clarke answers quietly.</p><p>“That was a five-hundred-dollar bottle of wine,” he continues to shout.</p><p>“I’m so very sorry sir,” Clarke apologizes again.</p><p>The head caterer comes out to see what the commotion is. When the man tells the caterer about the champagne in his lap and the champagne now on the floor, the caterer turns to Clarke and says, “You have made enough of a mess for one night. Your services are no longer needed tonight. Please leave.”</p><p>“No! Please! I’ll switch to cleaning up plates. I need this job,” Clarke begs.</p><p>But the caterer is not convinced and has security escort Clarke out of the venue.</p><p>“Nice work, Griffin. What the hell was that?” Anya says into her mic, and the words echo in Clarke’s head until she finds the van in the parking lot.</p><p>“I did flash though. The man I spilled champagne on? He’s the one that’s going to try to kill Fonseca tonight. Make sure Costia and Lexa get the message. I’ll watch from the van,” Clarke says, defeated.</p><p>Still at the party, Anya manages to signal Lexa from across the room. Lexa excuses herself from the dance floor, claiming she’s gotten thirsty and heads towards Anya. She takes a seat at the bar and orders an old fashioned. While Anya makes it, they avoid eye contact, but carry on a conversation.</p><p>“Is Clarke okay?” Lexa asks. “I saw her get yelled at and then escorted out by security.”</p><p>“She’s fine. Just a terrible waitress. She’s in the van watching now. No audio,” Anya answers. “She flashed though. Right before she got kicked out. The guy who yelled at her is our assassin.”</p><p>“Alright, what next?”</p><p>“I have a break in five minutes. I was just going to grab him and take him out.”  </p><p>“Cos and I will stay with the ambassador.”</p><p>Clarke watches through the video feed, and seizes the opportunity to ogle Lexa in that dress while she’s away from Costia. She and Anya don’t even look like they’re talking, but Clarke knows them well enough to know that they’re swapping intel.</p><p>Five minutes later, she watches both Anya and Lexa abandon the bar. Lexa returns to Costia’s side, so Clarke opts to track Anya from screen to screen.</p><p>The asshole who yelled at her is standing near the dancefloor when suddenly Anya’s hand flies in front of his nose and mouth, and she drags him away. Clarke loses them for a second but eventually find Anya and the would-be assassin in an empty hallway where she pushes him into a closet doorway, pulls out a gun, and shoots. The man falls limp, and Anya pushes him further into the closet. She straightens her vest, then returns to the bar.</p><p>In the van, Clarke sits in stunned silence. Holy shit. Anya just killed a man in cold blood. Because Clarke flashes. What if she had been wrong? What if the Intersect had been wrong and Anya just killed an innocent man? She briefly considers running. Grabbing an Uber, and going home, but she knows they would find her, and probably ship her off to a Black Site for deserting.</p><p>Clarke keeps a glazed eye on the screens for the rest of the party. When the party ends, Anya, Lexa, and Costia pile back into a van to find a pale Clarke in the back seat.</p><p>“You okay Clarke?” Costia asks.</p><p>Clarke doesn’t answer. Lexa rests her hand on Clarke’s and asks again, “Clarke? Are you okay?”</p><p>Clarke whispers, “You killed him. I watched you pull out a gun, and shoot the guy.”</p><p>“He was a terrorist. What does it matter?” Costia answers. Lexa shoots Costia a questioning look.</p><p>“Because he’s dead because of me. If I hadn’t flashed…” Clarke trails off. “You killed him!” She directs at Anya.</p><p>“It was a tranq gun, Clarke,” Lexa says, also elbowing Anya in the ribs. Anya looks at Lexa who nods, then Anya agrees, “enough tranquilizer to sedate an elephant, but he’s not dead.”</p><p>“I didn’t think the CIA and NSA used tranq guns,” Clarke says, still skeptical.</p><p>“It’s better than leaving a dead and bloody body in an embassy closet,” Anya claims. “Just a passed out guy. Maybe they’ll think he drank too much.”</p><p>Clarke’s worries are pacified as each government agent recounts a time when they’ve used tranquilizers over bullets. She tests her limits by asking, “Can I use one?”</p><p>A resounding “No” from all three agents silences that line of questioning, and Anya hops back into the front seat to take them all back to The Cave.  </p><p>----------------</p><p>After briefing General Beckman about their successful mission, she asks for a moment to speak with Costia privately.</p><p>Anya returns weapons to the wall, Lexa changes out of her ball gown, and Clarke heads to the bathroom. When they return not five minutes later, Costia says, “Well it was nice working with you, but I’m being transferred to a different assignment. Seems like Team Intersect is doing just fine with three. A car will be here in a few minutes to take me to the airport.”</p><p>Lexa offers Costia a big hug and says, “It was nice to see you again. Very glad you were not actually dead.”</p><p>Anya offers Costia a handshake and a “Good luck on your next assignment. Stay safe out there.”</p><p>When Costia turns to Clarke to offer a hug or handshake, Clarke accepts neither. Costia instead offers, “I hope one day you’ll forgive me for everything.”</p><p>Clarke scoffs, “HA. Fat chance on that one,” then storms her way out of The Cave and towards her car to drive home.</p><p>The three agents sit in the uncomfortable silence until an alert of Costia’s phone indicates that her ride is here. She grabs her bag of stuff, and heads up the stairs, leaving Anya and Lexa to write their formal report.</p><p>“Take care of Clarke,” she directs at Lexa.</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>Anya glances at the weapons wall and wonders if she’ll have to use the same one she used on the assassin to eliminate Clarke.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Clarke Vs. The Knife</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>someone might get stabbed</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team meets in The Cave to debrief with Beckman. It has been an unusually slow week, and it only seems to move slower when Beckman confirms that they do not have a mission. After a briefing, they usually have time to plan and talk to prep for the upcoming mission, but without one, they aren’t quite sure what to do with themselves.</p><p>Clarke fills the silence by asking, “Am I allowed to date while working for the CIA?”</p><p>Anya answers with, “Being in the CIA never stopped Lexa.”</p><p>Lexa feels both comments in her gut, but forces herself to say, “Yes, you are. We just have to vet them first.”</p><p>“So I’d just give you a name, and you’d run a background check?”</p><p>“A little bit more than a background check, but yeah, essentially.”</p><p>“Great, I’ll go ask her out then,” Clarke says, sliding a business card across the table and practically sprinting out the door.</p><p>Lexa picks up the card and reads Niylah Jones, Knuckle Sandwich Owner. Her stomach twists, but she starts to search her through the CIA databases.</p><p>“Lexa, I can do it,” Anya offers.</p><p>“No, it’s fine,’ Lexa responds, mindlessly twirling the infinity charm between her fingers.</p><p>Lexa searches to find Niylah’s criminal record, but comes up empty. She tries to find any dark web entanglements, but again, comes up empty. She looks up her bank statements, credit score, school records, employment records, but everything is squeaky clean. Even her credit score is admirable. Lexa then pivots to looking through her social media and discovers that she volunteers at the local homeless shelter, grows her own vegetables, and is a loving aunt to two little nuggets. The worst thing Lexa finds is that she apparently dated a greasy looking dude in the past year, but all indications show that they broke up.</p><p>Lexa turns to Anya after about thirty minutes of hacking and stalking. “She seems clean.”</p><p>“That was…thorough,” Anya mocks.</p><p>“Just making sure the CIA’s most important asset is safe. We should still watch their first date just in case.” Lexa’s face has hardened.</p><p>Anya tries to get more out of Lexa, “I can do that alone.”</p><p>“You don’t have to.”</p><p>“Commander, I don’t know what happened between you two on that roof, but something did.”</p><p>‘No, Colonel, it didn’t. Love is weakness, remember? It’s part of our training.”</p><p>---------------</p><p>With her newfound freedom, Clarke speeds her way into the Knuckle Sandwich shop, and spots her favorite sandwich maker behind the counter.</p><p>Niylah looks up from another customer’s sandwich and smiles at Clarke, who impatiently taps her foot waiting for the line to move forward and for her turn to order.</p><p>“What can I get for you today, Clarke?”</p><p>“Do you want to get dinner with me?” Clarke blurts out.</p><p>Niylah blushes but responds with, “I’m not sure how to put that in a sandwich.”</p><p>“Not for a sandwich. Just you. Me. Some food. Maybe Friday night?” Clarke presses forward with her newfound confidence. It’s nice knowing that she’s asking for a real date, and if she gets the yes, it’s a real yes, not a government mandated one.</p><p>“I’d love to,” Niylah says, her cheeks reddening as her other employees whoop in response.</p><p>“Great,” Clarke smiles back, “and as for a sandwich, I’ll have my usual.”</p><p>“One turkey, asiago, arugula, mozzarella, pesto coming right up!” Niylah says, with even more pep in her step than usual since being asked out.</p><p>As Clarke pays for her sandwich, a flyer on the bulletin board catches Clarke’s eye, and her vision blurs.</p><p>A nightclub. A weapons dealer. A greasy looking DJ. Blueprints for a building. Secret backdoor trades. An illegal tiger.</p><p>Clarke’s vision fades back into focus to find a worries Niylah looking at her from across the counter. “Are you okay? You look a little pale and dizzy.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Just hungry I guess,” Clarke lies. One lie and they haven’t even gone on a real date yet. How many more is she going to have to tell this girl?<br/>
She shoves that line of thought to the side, and changes the subject. “What’s that nightclub flyer for?”</p><p>“Oh, an old friend from high school owns that night club. He asked if he could put a flyer in here. They’re having a grand opening this weekend. Do you want to go?”</p><p>“I’d love to. I haven’t gone dancing in a while.”</p><p>Clarke leaves the sandwich shop, and texts Niylah a quick excitement text along with the details of when and where she’ll pick her up. She then makes a B line for Anya in the Buy More to let her know there’s something shady going on at a nightclub.</p><p>She finds Anya in the appliances section talking a family into upgrading their dishwasher warranty plan. Clarke waves Anya over to the Nerd Herd desk so they can talk. When Anya excuses herself, Raven swoops in on her customers to try to finish the sale.</p><p>“I just flashed on a flyer I saw in the sandwich place. Sound Nightclub has a backdoor weapons dealership in it,” Clarke explains.</p><p>“So much for a week off from missions,” Anya laments.</p><p>“I’m going with Niylah on Friday night as part of our date. I can just let you know if I flash on anything, and you guys can go the next night.”</p><p>“Clarke, that’s not how this works,” Anya says. “You still have no tactical training and we cannot knowingly let you go somewhere with an embedded terror threat. Even if it is just a nightclub to most people.”</p><p>“Come on, Anya! It’s a date. With a non-CIA non-NSA operative. You can’t be there!” Clarke argues.</p><p>“If you’re there, we’re there.”</p><p>“We? As in Lexa’s coming too?” Clarke says, but Anya has already started walking back towards her clients.</p><p>Anya sees Raven chatting them up, and bringing them towards a register and she says, “Damn it, Raven just stole my commission.”</p><p>“Good,” Clarke mutters under her breath.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Clarke picks Niylah up from her apartment. Clarke’s wearing dark jeans, a tank top, and a floral print bomber jacket. Niylah is wearing a casual navy blue sundress.</p><p>They make idle chit chat in the car as they drive to the restaurant. While at the restaurant, they decide to split a pizza. While they munch on their pizza, they talk about their jobs. Clarke leaves out her side position as a CIA supercomputer, and bumps her lie count up to two.</p><p>Conversation is easy. It’s comfortable. They make jokes and smile, and try to learn a bit about each other. Clarke tries to will herself to feel the same butterflies she felt on her first date with Lexa. Tries to feel the same electricity when their hands brush or their eyes lock, but where there had been a lightning bolt, there’s merely a static shock.</p><p>Clarke’s internal turmoil comes spilling out of her mouth before she has the chance to stop it. “I have to be honest with you.”</p><p>“Uh oh. That’s never good. You’re not going to murder me or something, right?” Niylah asks, suddenly nervous.</p><p>“No, no. Nothing bad. I’m actually having a really nice time talking with you. I just. I recently got out of a relationship that kind of crushed me,” Clarke begins. Technically it was a fake relationship that she just got out, so Clarke ups her lie-tally to two and a half. “It’s kind of an odd situation. We’re still trying to be friends,” Clarke continues. Technically that’s only a white lie, but she still counts it and the lie count is up to three.</p><p>“Is this the brunette I used to see you come into the shop with?” Niylah asks.</p><p>“Yeah. Lexa. I just needed to get that off my chest so you didn’t think it was weird. She’s kind of part of the friend group, so it’s impossible to cut each other out completely.” That is an outright lie. Four.</p><p>“I’m not looking for anything complicated, so I just want to make sure. It is over, right?” Niylah asks.</p><p>“Yes. There is nothing going on with me and Lexa.” And the fact that that doesn’t get tacked on to her lie count stings just a bit. </p><p>The rest of the dinner is rather uneventful. They split tiramisu. Clarke insists on paying the check. As they get up to leave the restaurant and go to the club, Clarke offers her arm to Niylah who loops her arm underneath as they walk.</p><p>--------------</p><p>As they bypass the line to the club, Clarke spots Lexa and Anya waiting in line. To everyone else, they look like two hot girls ready for a night on the town. Clarke knows that there must be weapons hidden beneath the skin-tight ripped jeans, heels, and crop tops.</p><p>Anya offers a subtle head nod that Clarke ignores until Niylah asks, “Hey, isn’t that your ex?”</p><p>Clarke keeps walking, refusing to even look back, “Huh? No?”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure that was her,” Niylah insists.</p><p>“Trust me, it can’t be her. Lexa is not the dancing type,” Clarke replies. Five lies.</p><p>They enter the club and start dancing. The club has a young upbeat vibe. The music choice is good and danceable. Clarke enjoys being able to pull Niylah close, press their bodies together, and not have to wonder if it’s for a cover or not.</p><p>After about thirty minutes of dancing, Clarke shouts that she’s going to go get them some drinks to cool down. Niylah nods against the thrumming bass, and motions to a table. Niylah heads to the table while Clarke heads to the bar.</p><p>While Clarke orders two beers, Anya slides her way next to Clarke. They don’t turn towards each other, but Anya offers an update. “There’s definitely something shady going on here. Lexa is in the back spying on their back room.</p><p>“Thanks for the update. I’m not on this mission. I don’t want to know,” Clarke says, drinks in hand, and walks away without so much as a goodbye. </p><p>----------------</p><p>Lexa sneaks by the bathrooms and finds a secret door to what initially appears to be a coatroom. After pushing her way through a blockade of jackets, the room opens to a large open room. There’s unmarked boxes all around the room, a few kegs. For the most part, it looks like an alcohol storage room, but a few details pique Lexa’s interest.</p><p>One, there’s a think layer of white powder around some of the boxes. They’re probably filled with kilos of cocaine.</p><p>Two, there are a handful of men playing poker in the center of the room. By Lexa’s count, for every one man there are two guns. One man even has a hunting knife strapped to his belt. This many weapons around a poker game can never be good.</p><p>Three, the enormous stacks of cash on the poker table rings a third alarm bell, as this can’t simply be a VIP game. Something real is on the line for that much dough.</p><p>Lexa takes a few photos with her phone and starts to make her way back to the club to update Anya and figure out next steps. As she retreats from the coats, her belt loop gets snagged on a hook, and jerks the entire rack of coats in her escape.<br/>
One of the men looks up and sees movement. Lexa’s been made.</p><p>“Hey! You! What are you doing back here?” The men call after her, but Lexa’s already running for the dancefloor. Two burly bodyguards stand from the table and begin to follow, bumping into dancing bodies as they try to cut through the crowd.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Lexa spots Clarke alone near a table.</p><p>“Cover me,” Lexa says somewhat desperately.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I got caught snooping back there and armed guards chased me out. I’m trying to hide in plain sight,” Lexa says, pulling Clarke to the dancefloor, starting to move her body to the music. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the guards surveying the crowd for her, and buries her face in Clarke’s neck under the guise of pulling her closer for a dance.</p><p>“Lexa.”</p><p>“Hm?” Lexa hums.</p><p>“Lexa!” Clarke says aggressively enough that it pulls Lexa’s attention so she moves to make eye contact. “I’m here on a date with someone else. I’m not supposed to be part of this mission.”</p><p>“I’m just trying to make sure they done shoot me in this nightclub, not trying to ruin your date,” Lexa angrily barks back. </p><p>“Fine,” Clarke huffs. Lexa settles into the dance moves, letting her hair out of her braid to hide her face a bit more, and toss it around to the music. For a moment, Clarke is distracted by how free Lexa seems, but the thought is interrupted by Niylah, who has just returned from the bathroom.</p><p>“Not the dancing type, I see,” Niylah accuses. Niylah turns to walk away leaving Clarke and Lexa in awkward silence.</p><p>“Shit,” Clarke mutters to herself, then chases after her yelling, “Niylah, wait!”</p><p>Clarke’s loud shout happens right at the lull of a song, and a good portion of the dance floor, as well as the security guards glance over.</p><p>The guards clock Lexa immediately and make an aggressive move towards her. Lexa makes a run for it and weaves in and out of the crowds until they lose her trail.</p><p>Clarke chases after Niylah, and catches up with her just outside the club.</p><p>“That wasn’t what it looked like!”</p><p>“Really? Because it looked like you dancing with your ex,” Niylah retorts, “If this date was just some scheme to make her jealous…”</p><p>“It wasn’t!” Clarke asserts, “Look, I know that looked bad. And I was dancing with her, but she pulled me to the dancefloor to hide from someone.”</p><p>“You don’t need to lie to my face, Clarke. You could have just told me you weren’t feeling it.”</p><p>“I’m not lying! Lexa must have danced with or kissed the wrong girl in there and some burly boyfriend was coming after her. I was just there to hide her so she didn’t get beaten up,” Clarke says. This one is an outright lie, one that’s big enough that she counts it twice. Clarke’s lie count bumps up to seven. “I promise, there is nothing going on with me and Lexa. Please come back inside. I was enjoying our date.”</p><p>Niylah relents, takes a deep breath and asks, “You promise?”</p><p>“Yes,” Clarke says, and extends a hand out to Niylah to bring her back into the club. Niylah accepts Clarke’s hand and they return to the dancefloor.</p><p>Clarke and Niylah fall into a rhythm on the dancefloor. A few upbeat songs with a loud base seem to vibrate the tension out of the two. They bounce to the music, swaying hips, and carelessly throwing arms in the air. When the song turns to a slower sexier song, Niylah turns in Clarke’s arms so her back is pressed against Clarke’s front, and begins a steady grind. When Niylah takes a step away to show off a bit, Clarke feels a large hand cover her mouth and another grab her around the shoulders, lifting her off her feet and through the crowd. She tries to scream, but between the hand over her mouth and the steady bass, no one can hear her.</p><p>Niylah, realizing there are no longer arms around her, and no body to dance against turns to find Clarke gone.</p><p>----------</p><p>Clarke is unceremoniously dumped into a chair in a backroom that Lexa thought was a coat closet. Disoriented with the bright lights compared to the dark in the club, she tries to regain her bearings. She goes to move the hair out of her face, but her arms are restrained with what feels like a well-tied scarf behind her back.</p><p>“Where’s your girlfriend?” the man asks.</p><p>“Uh, on the dancefloor, where you kidnapped me?” Clarke replies, still confused as to what the hell just happened.</p><p>“Not blonde one. Brunette.” The man has a thick accent. Some Eastern European that Clarke can’t quite place.</p><p>“How many girlfriends do you think I have?” Clarke asks, trying to joke with the man. He seems unamused, and his face doesn’t change from a neutral angry expression.</p><p>“We caught her spying on us. We do not like being spied on. We have important business.”</p><p>“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Clarke says. She vaguely remembers this face scanning the crowd looking for Lexa while they danced. Clarke fidgets in her restraints, and reaches up to the SOS button on her watch. She presses it and hopes Anya and Lexa check their phones.</p><p>The man continues to press on. “Where is she?”</p><p>“How many times are you going to ask, before you realize I don’t actually know? I was dancing with someone else!” Clarke complains, getting bored of this interrogation. “Although, I’m sure if you wait a few minutes, she’ll show up.”</p><p>As if on cue, Anya and Lexa throw open the closet door, toss aside the coat rack, and storm into the room, guns drawn. Anya flashes her badge, but doesn’t designate agency, and the man bristles.</p><p>“Let her go, and I won’t have to put a bullet in you,” Anya threatens.</p><p>“Oh, so this one is important, is she?” the man threatens back. “Let’s see just how special she is,” he says, drawing his knife from his belt, and caressing the weapon against Clarke’s face. He moves his body so he is behind Clarke, using her as a human shield.</p><p>“Put. Your. Weapons. Down,” Lexa seethes at the man. She shifts on her feet, slowly moving side to side trying to get an angle for a clear shot at him, but all are too risky with Clarke right there.</p><p>“I think I’ll keep it,” he says back, “Maybe test how sharp it is.” He rotates he knife so the pointed end is aimed directly at Clarke. He gently pokes Clarke’s arm with the blade, and a trickle of blood starts to run down her fingers. Clarke’s heart rate spikes. She looks desperately at Anya and Lexa for help. For someone to get her out of this. She and Lexa hold eye contact for a moment, and Clarke can see that Lexa is also scared, which ramps up Clarke’s own fear.</p><p>Anya makes a sudden move towards them, and the man jumps. Clarke hears Lexa yell, “No!” and all Clarke feels is a blinding pain in her right side. She looks down to see her shirt turning red.</p><p>Lexa takes a moment to watch as Anya takes a shot at the man, lodging a bullet into his shoulder, but it doesn’t stop him. He bolts out of a second exit, and Anya takes off after him back through the alley and down the street. Lexa assumes Anya will be just fine and turns her attention to Clarke. She dives onto her knees at Clarke’s feet and unties her hands.</p><p>“Oh my god, Clarke. Are you okay?” Lexa asks.          </p><p>“No, Lexa, I’ve been stabbed!”</p><p>“Shhhh. Don’t talk. Don’t yell. You’ll only lose more blood,” Lexa tries to soothe. She puts her hands over the wound and presses down, trying to quell the ebbing blood. Clarke winces in pain, tears coming to her eyes.</p><p>“Clarke. No. Clarke, I’m so sorry.” Lexa is frantic. She’s trying to stop the bleeding as Clarke swears and jerks in pain every time she does.</p><p>“Lexa, I don’t feel so good,” Clarke says, her voice fading. Her vision blurring.</p><p>“Clarke, stay with me. Clarke, look at me. Stay with me. I’ve got you, stay with me.” Lexa is near panicking. Tears are unwillingly welling in her eyes, as she ties a bandage made of shredded coat arms around Clarke’s side.</p><p>“Clarke, stay with me. I’ve got you, Clarke. Stay awake, baby. Come on, come on!”</p><p>Clarke’s fading coherent thought is how much she likes the way Lexa says her name. </p><p>She wakes up again seconds later with Lexa’s hands shaking her shoulders and gently tapping her face.</p><p>“We need to get you medical attention,” Lexa says, lifting Clarke out of the chair. She throws Clarke’s arm around her shoulder and grabs her by the waist as they stumble out of the backroom and back into the club. The music jolts Clarke awake a bit more, and she hopes no one notices that they’re both covered in blood in the darkness of the room.</p><p>Niylah sees Clarke walking towards her with their arms thrown around each other, clearing bearing some of her weight. “Where the hell were you? I turned around on the dancefloor to find you gone!”</p><p>By some miracle, Clarke summons the consciousness to answer, “I ran to the bar to get us drinks. Did you not hear me say that on the dancefloor?” Clarke lies. Eight. “I meant to be gone for just a few moments, but then I rolled my ankle, and can’t put weight on it,” Clarke tries to explain the limp and the lean on Lexa. Nine. “Lexa here found me sitting on the chair and offered to drive me to my roommate who is a doctor,” Clarke continues. Ten. The pain in her side is unbearable. Her vision is starting to cloud, and she hopes her jacket is still hiding the gushing blood from her side.</p><p>“I’m going to get her to a hospital,” Lexa adds, and starts to steer Clarke away to get her medical attention as soon as possible. Niylah tries to stop them, but Lexa keeps moving.</p><p>Instead, Niylah calls after them, “Look I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but it’s clearly not over. I refuse to do ‘complicated’. Don’t bother calling me!”</p><p>“Stabbed and dumped in the same day. That’s a new low. She’s right though,” Clarke mumbles, then falls completely limp. Lexa doesn’t have time to react to what Clarke meant by Niylah being right because she’s too busy catching Clarke’s weight, and lifting her into her arms.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Clarke wakes up in a hospital bed. Her vision is foggy when she first opens her eyes, so it takes her a few seconds to realize she’s in The Cave.  What happened? She starts to take in the rest of her surroundings. A heart rate monitor, an IV of fluids. Her left hand feels warm, and she forces herself to muster the energy to turn to the side and sees Lexa’s hand in her own. Lexa feels more than sees Clarke’s eyes on her and the worry returns to her face.</p><p>Clarke’s voice is hoarse when she asks, “What happened?”</p><p>“You were stabbed,” Lexa looks down at their entwined hands in shame, “No damage to internal organs, but you lost a lot of blood.”</p><p>Clarke’s brain is too addled from the painkillers, that she doesn’t have the words to form a follow up question. Instead, she lifts her shirt to see the wound. A bloody gauze pad covers some of her side.</p><p>“I should redress it, check that the stitches are holding,” Lexa says, moving to a drawer full of medical supplies. As she rebandages Clarke’s wound, Clarke winces in pain. “I’m sorry,” Lexa says.</p><p>“You’re just trying to clean it,” Clarke says, feeling guilty for being such a baby when it comes to pain.</p><p>Lexa starts and stops a few times, “That’s not what I… It’s my fault. You could’ve… You almost…” She picks up again when she has a full thought that she’s okay saying, “I’m just glad you’re okay.” They hold each other’s eye contact for a beat, Clarke smiles softly.</p><p>Lexa finishes cleaning and reapplying a bandage. She gently runs her fingers over the adhesive a few times to ensure it sticks, and watches goosebumps erupt on Clarke’s stomach.</p><p>Clarke’s butterflies are back. The electric zing of Lexa’s touch on her skin. But the pain killers outweigh that feeling, and Clarke’s eyelids grow heavy, she’s close to falling back asleep, but manages to say, “I missed you” before she slips out of consciousness once more.</p><p>Lexa falls back into her seat, then grasps Clarke’s hand and kisses each knuckle, thankful she’s too out of it to remember it when she wakes up. Still holding her hand, she settles into the chair at Clarke’s bedside, and drifts to sleep, her head resting on the bed near Clarke’s leg.  </p><p>-----------------</p><p>Not long after, Anya comes storming into The Cave with a man in cuffs and a bag over his head. She removes the bag, and throws him into a cell.</p><p>The noise wakes Lexa, who turns to Anya for an update.</p><p>“I got the bastard,” Anya announces, but offers no full details. “We can get a full confession out of him tomorrow.” Anya turns her attention to Clarke, who gently stirs in her sleep. “How’s Griffin doing?”</p><p>“She’s stable,” Lexa answers.</p><p>“It wasn’t your fault, Commander,” Anya reassures.</p><p>“It was. She wasn’t on this mission, and I put her in it when I used her for cover. It’s my fault. I have to pull away,” Lexa explains.</p><p>“Had she not been an idiot, she would have been on the mission so she wouldn’t have left our sight. She chose to go unsupervised. That’s on her,” Anya counters.</p><p>“But it’s our job to protect her!” Lexa argues.</p><p>Clarke stirs more noticeably in her bed. Her eyes slowly open to see a worried Lexa and a proud looking Anya.</p><p>“Welcome back to the world of the living, Griffin. First battle scar. Congratulations,” Anya says. She leaves the room to head home. They’ll be back tomorrow to interrogate and take care of the guy in the cell.  </p><p>Lexa starts to get up to work on some paperwork, when Clarke stops her. “Lexa, can we talk?”</p><p>“Uh, sure?” Lexa stutters.</p><p>“I’m never going to get ‘normal’, am I?” Clarke asks, throwing air quotes around the word normal, then wincing at the pain in her side from lifting her arm.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“The normal dates, nights, significant others, etcetera. At least, not while this thing is in my head.”</p><p>“Probably not,” Lexa says honestly.</p><p>“And seeing as when I am unsupervised, I end up with a knife in my side, I’m thinking I might need a protective detail,” Clarke continues.</p><p>Lexa quirks an eyebrow, not sure where Clarke is going with this.</p><p>“And if my blurry just-been-stabbed memory serves me correctly, I was recently dumped by Niylah. Any interest in being my fake girlfriend again?”</p><p>“Clarke… I’m the reason you got stabbed,” Lexa responds, the weight of her mistake weighing heavily on her chest.</p><p>“Then, I think you owe it to me to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Clarke says with a smile.</p><p>And Clarke is alive. And smiling. And by some miracle not angry with her for what happened. And Lexa is powerless to say no to her.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>The next evening, Clarke opens the door to her apartment to find Octavia and Lincoln cuddled up on the couch watching TV.</p><p>“Where have you been, Clarke? You never came home last night,” Octavia asks, seemingly worried.</p><p>“I, uh, spent the night at Lexa’s,” Clarke lies. She’s lost count of how many lies she has told Octavia. Two hundred?</p><p>Octavia bolts up off the couch, “Lexa? As in Lexa Lexa?”</p><p>Clarke smiles to herself, “Yeah we uh, kind of ran into each other at a club the other night and well… one thing led to another…”</p><p>“Oh Clarke, that’s great! I knew a break up between you two wouldn’t last. You’re too damn cute together,” Octavia says. She leaps off the couch and gives Clarke a big squeeze around the middle. Clarke lets out a yelp of pain.</p><p>“Why did that hurt? Are you okay?” Octavia asks. “Let us take a look, we’re doctors.”</p><p>“No!” Clarke blurts, then more calmly adds, “No, I’m fine. Just strained a muscle lifting boxes at the Buy More.” Two hundred and one.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Clarke Vs. The Seduction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke sits next to Anya at The Cave conference table. She hasn’t sat next to Lexa since their fake break up, and while they are fake back together, their conversations and interactions have been stilted and awkward. Ever since Clarke watched Costia and Lexa dance together, she’s even more convinced that this is just a cover for Lexa. Ever since Clarke got stabbed, Lexa has felt the need to pull away from Clarke to ensure her safety. </p><p>This time, their relationship is nothing but a cover. Clarke made it clear she didn’t want anything more with Lexa, and so Lexa will do her damn best to respect Clarke’s wishes. This is simply for a cover.</p><p>The stiff air of the conference room is finally broken when General Beckman’s face appears on the screen. She begins with a curt greeting, but launches into the mission. “Viola Lennox is back in town.”</p><p>Both Lexa and Anya bristle and groan. Clarke isn’t sure why, so she asks, “Who is Viola Lennox?”</p><p>“She is a notorious human trafficker,” Lexa starts to explain.</p><p>“Got it. Monster,” Clarke says.</p><p>“Agent Woods is right. Unfortunately, while she is well known by our agencies, she is incredibly difficult to reach. Outside her inner circle of trusted colleagues, the only ones that can get remotely close to her are her conquests.”</p><p>“Conquests?” Clarke asks, not liking where this mission is headed.</p><p>“Yes. While her trafficking work is well established, she is equally known for seducing some of our most high-powered agents, and then getting away. The few agents that have gotten close to her are unable to find real evidence. She is an expert in hiding information in plain sight,” Beckman continues to explain.</p><p>“Sir, with all due respect, we can get Griffin up to speed on the background information. What exactly is our mission?” Anya interjects.</p><p>“We are sending you in as bait. Seduce her. Get her to bring you back to her room, and find the evidence we need to bring her in.”</p><p>Lexa tries and fails to stifle a laugh. “General, I don’t think Colonel Forrest is the best choice for that. She flunked out of Seduction 101 at the academy.”</p><p>Anya shoots Lexa dagger eyes, as Clarke’s own light up, dying to know this story. Is Seduction 101 a real class? How did Anya fail it?</p><p>“I was not talking to Colonel Forrest.”</p><p>“General, Lennox and I have crossed paths before. She’ll recognize me and it will compromise the mission.”</p><p>“Agent Woods, you weren’t my intended bait either.”</p><p>A cacophony erupts as all three women in the conference room balk simultaneously: “Me?” “Clarke?” “What?” </p><p>“Let me get this straight. The head of homeland security is pimping me out in the hopes that they’ll catch someone who never has evidence on them?” Clarke asks, feeling sick to her stomach.</p><p>“It should go no farther than a kiss. You’ll have the evidence you need, then we’ll send Lexa and Anya in as an extraction team for you,” Beckman answers.</p><p>“And how do we know that Lennox will choose me to seduce and bring back to her room?”</p><p>“We don’t. That’s why you’ll need to seduce her. Agents Carmichael are waiting to teach your first lesson this evening,” Beckman answers before hanging up.</p><p>“Does someone want to explain that last part to me?” Clarke asks, still wildly confused about this mission.</p><p>Lexa comes to her aid. “Agents Carmichael run the seduction course as part of undercover training. They used to be the Agency’s top agents before settling down to have kids.”</p><p>“Wait, it’s two CIA agents that fell in love and got married?”</p><p>Lexa nods, holding Clarke’s gaze, and hoping to telepathically let her know that that’s something she would be open to.</p><p>“That’s adorable…” Clarke trails off. Lexa smiles, but Clarke tears her eyes away and looks to the floor, too afraid to let her mind go there.</p><p>“Now they run training courses at headquarters, but rarely go into the field,” Anya adds. “Total waste of talent,” she adds.</p><p>--------</p><p>That evening, after work, Team Intersect pulls up to an immaculate mansion in Beverly Hills. Clarke let’s out a low whistle and says, “Whew nice shack. I guess government work pays better than I thought.”</p><p>Anya makes a disgruntled noise, but doesn’t say anything.</p><p>“These two have had some pretty risky jobs, so they were well compensated for it,” Lexa adds. “They earn a more reasonable wage training new recruits.”</p><p>Clarke remembers the mention of Seduction 101, and finally has the chance to ask, “So is there really a seduction class in training?” then turns her attention to Anya to ask, “And how did you fail it? God I wish I could tell Raven about that.”</p><p>Anya reaches for her gun, and Lexa reaches over to lower Anya’s hand before she shoots their own asset.</p><p>“I didn’t fail it. I just found it to be a useless method of gaining information.”</p><p>Lexa fails to contain a laugh. “Rumor is at the academy she punched the guy she was supposed to be seducing when he leaned in for a kiss. Knocked him completely unconscious, turns out the guy was only leaning over to pick something off the ground near her!”</p><p>“Shut the fuck up, Woods,” Anya says, standing to get out of the car, then slamming her car door shut. Lexa and Clarke follow behind, both still chuckling at Anya’s failed attempt at romance.</p><p>-------------</p><p>Anya rings the doorbell, and the three wait patiently for the door to swing open. When it does, they are greeted by a couple that is younger than Clarke expected. The man, Mr. Carmichael, is tall, with brown hair and brown eyes, and an endearing smile. He’s wearing a very nice, very expensive well-tailored suit. The woman, Mrs. Carmichael, is a blonde haired, blue-eyed goddess in a nice evening dress and perfectly coiffed hair.</p><p>“Colonel Forrest, are you here for a regrade?” Carmichael jokes. Anya does not find it funny, but shakes his hand regardless, and lets herself into the foyer. Everyone else follows.</p><p>“And if it isn’t Air Force Commander Woods. Always a pleasure to see you again,” Carmichael says. He kisses Lexa’s hand instead of shaking it, and Lexa rolls her eyes.</p><p>“You’ve gotten cheesy in your old age, sir,” Lexa replies.</p><p>“Quick as a whip this one. One of the reasons she made such an excellent pupil,” he adds.</p><p>“Only when the marks were women,” Mrs. Carmichael jokes, laughing at the blush that creeps up Lexa’s neck.</p><p>“So am I to understand that you need a bit of a refresher course to take down Lennox?” he asks Lexa.</p><p>“No, not me. Her,” Lexa says, pointing to Clarke, “This is Clarke Griffin, our newest asset.”</p><p>“Hi, nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael,” Clarke says, offering her hand for a shake.</p><p>“Please, call me Sarah,” she says, shaking Clarke’s hand. Her husband is still looking Clarke up and down. Mr. Carmichael eyes Clarke from head to toe, raking in the messy top bun, disheveled white t-shirt button up, the nerd herd pocket protector, the untailored black slacks, and the beat-up old chucks.</p><p>Sarah nudges her husband, “Chuck, say hello.”</p><p>Mr. Carmichael is pulled out of his mindless gawking, and quickly apologizes, but follows it up with, “This is who you want me to train as a seductress? I’m not a miracle worker. She doesn’t have an ounce of sex appeal.”</p><p>“Hey!” Clarke blurts, completely offended. She glances down at her outfit. She didn’t think she looked that bad today. Maybe a little bit of the Buy More exhaustion, but not completely devoid of sex appeal.</p><p>Anya laughs hysterically in the background.</p><p>Lexa jumps to her defense. “Forgive us. We came right from our cover jobs. If you give her a chance, I think you’ll find her quite charming.”</p><p>Clarke gives Lexa a quizzical look. They aren’t using the fake-dating cover here. Why is she lying to Mr. Carmichael…Unless?</p><p>Lexa offers Clarke a small smile and a shrug as Carmichael considers her assessment. “I’ll take your word for it. Let’s see what she’s working with,” Carmichael replies as he leads them into the living room.</p><p>Anya and Sarah take a left down the hallway to discuss weapons and other mission logistics while Clarke, Lexa, and Carmichael have a seat in the living room. Lexa and Clarke are seated on a love seat with as much space between them as the couch will allow. Backs both ramrod straight and facing directly ahead at Carmichael, who is seated on the coffee table in front of them.</p><p>“Okay then, Clarke. Show me how you would pick up Lexa.”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Clarke replies.</p><p>“Do you not find Lexa attractive enough for you?”</p><p>“I… well… I wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable,” Clarke dodges.</p><p>“Clarke, it’s okay. Really,” Lexa adds.</p><p>Clarke quirks an eyebrow to gauge Lexa’s consent. God, this is uncomfortable. Clarke starts to explain, “Well, I’d start off with my best come hither look”, and waggles her eyebrows suggestively at Lexa, bites her lip in faux sexy seduction, and Lexa laughs.</p><p>Clarke lights up at that reaction and continues to stare Lexa down, licking her lips as if preparing for a kiss, “Then I’d hit her with my best pick up lines. Are you a parking ticket, because you have fine written all over you.”</p><p>Lexa erupts in another laugh and Clarke smiles in triumph. That is, until she turns to Carmichael for approval. Carmichael does not look amused.</p><p>Clarke redirects, “Maybe I’d tell her a bit about my day at work. Like today I had to try to find an embedded virus in this guy’s CAD software, but in going through his files, all I found was an unreasonably realistic 3D rendering of Pikachu with an enormous dick.”</p><p>Lexa laughs again and starts to ask a million follow up questions but is interrupted.</p><p>“If you are not going to take this seriously, do not waste my time. Viola Lennox is one of the most dangerous women on the CIA’s watch list. This is a unique opportunity to end her trafficking ring, and I will not let your incessant jokes ruin this mission.”</p><p>Both Clarke and Lexa look down, adequately scolded, but then Clarke stands up for herself, “Last I checked, the way to a woman’s heart was to make her laugh, but what do I know…”</p><p>“You’re not trying to win her heart. You are trying to get in her bed. That’s all. Lennox doesn’t care about connection. She wants sex. Power. Seduction. After one night, you’re disposed of.”</p><p>“Okay then, how does one seduce a heartless bitch like her,” Clarke angrily asks.</p><p>The next thirty minutes are spent on Carmichael’s principles of good flirting and seduction. Eye contact. It should be intense, prolonged, and any onlooker should assume the two of you are fucking simply by watching you look at each other. Double entendres. Subtly suggestive comments to steer your way into her bedroom. Touch. When at all possible, maintain a touch point. Hold hands, trace your fingers up an arm, a hand on a thigh, run your foot up her leg. Make her think you are charming, a challenge to win over, but willing to put out once she does.</p><p>The whole lecture has Clarke feeling a bit sick to her stomach, still unsure how she feels about being pimped out by the CIA. By the time the lecture is over, Carmichael decides it’s time for a practical application, and sets Clarke and Lexa up at a table for two in the kitchen. The table is lit with candles and there’s a chocolate dessert sitting at the center that Clarke is hoping makes the whole trip worth it.</p><p>“Show me what you’ve learned. Pretend Lexa is your mark.”</p><p>The two have a seat at the table. Neither say a word, and spend their time staring at their own silverware. Mr. Carmichael clears his throat to remind them to get started and Clarke gently kicks Lexa in the shin with a pleading look. Help me! Clarke tries to yell at Lexa through sustained eye contact.</p><p>Thankfully, Lexa picks up on Clarke’s desperation, and tries to set her up for something by talking about the dish, “This must be the smoked chocolate bread pudding I’ve heard so much about.”</p><p>“Did you know chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac?” Clarke asks. Carmichael rubs his palm over his face in frustration, but allows the conversation to continue.</p><p>“I did, but how about we put that to the test?” Lexa asks back, quirking a suggestive eyebrow. Carmichael perks up a bit. At least someone isn’t completely inept.</p><p>Clarke grabs a spoon and takes a bite, trying to look seductive while licking and sucking the chocolate off her utensil. Lexa’s eyes are glued to Clarke’s mouth when she asks, “Well, how is it?”</p><p>Clarke pauses in confusion, and a subdued grimace crosses her face before she manages to swallow her mouthful. “There’s something weird about the smoked flavor…”</p><p>Lexa takes her bite, and Clarke watches a similar reaction cross her face. Clarke takes another bite and swirls it around in her mouth when it clicks. “It tastes vaguely like deli meat. It’s like eating a chocolate smoked turkey sandwich,” Clarke says, bursting into laughter.  </p><p>Lexa takes another bite and tastes it too. “Maybe they accidentally cooked it in the same oven? Dropped some deli meat in the pan while cooking and hoped no one would notice?”</p><p>At this point, Clarke is crying laughing as Lexa continues to eat the dessert, claiming it’s the best chocolate dessert she’s ever had. They’ve completely forgotten about Carmichael when he storms towards them, “If you cannot even eat dessert without making it a joke, there is no way you’ll successfully seduce Lennox. This is a waste of my time. And a waste of yours.”</p><p>“Okay, but there’s legitimately nothing sexy about this. Taste it. It’s disgusting,” Clarke defends herself and offers him a bite from her spoon.</p><p>Carmichael refuses, but concedes that there is one possible way to salvage Clarke’s seduction capabilities. “Kiss her,” he instructs.</p><p>“I’m sorry, what?”</p><p>“Kiss her.”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s necessary.”</p><p>“You want to prove to me that you aren’t completely incompetent for this mission? Kiss her.”</p><p>Clarke glances at Lexa out of the corner of her eye. Lexa gives her a slight shrug, so Clarke stands, leans over, and places a chaste kiss on her cheek. She stands in triumph, but Carmichael does not seem amused.</p><p>“She’s not your grandmother. Kiss her.”</p><p>Exasperated, Clarke says, “Fine! You really want me to kiss her?!”</p><p>“Desperately.”</p><p>Clarke takes Lexa’s hand and pulls her to her feet, wraps her in her arms, and with Lexa’s slight nod of consent, kisses her.</p><p>The urgency of the kiss surprises them both, but neither move to end it. Lexa’s hands fly to Clarke’s jaw, and pull her face closer, and Clarke’s arms tighten around Lexa’s waist to keep her in place. Clarke traces her tongue on Lexa’s lower lip, and she grins into the kiss at Lexa’s involuntary gasp. They stay wrapped in their heated embrace for a few moments before Clarke drops all pretense and releases herself from the kiss to turn towards Carmichael. “Well?” she asks.  </p><p>Lexa moves to chase lips that are no longer there, and she is immediately snapped out of her revelry by Clarke’s question.</p><p>“I’m, uh, going to go freshen up,” Lexa claims, and heads down the hallway towards the bathroom.</p><p>Carmichael addresses Clarke, “Didn’t think you had it in you.”</p><p>Clarke gives him a smug look and a shrug.</p><p>“That’s not the first time that’s happened, is it?” He asks, and Clarke’s smug look is wiped off her face.  </p><p>“Lexa and I are strictly professional.”</p><p>The rest of the evening goes a bit more smoothly. Once convinced that Clarke isn’t completely incapable, Carmichael treats Clarke with more respect, and in turn, Clarke is much more willing to take his advice. By the time they leave, Anya and Sarah have thought through all logistics, Clarke has a newly minted stamp of approval for her seduction tactics, and they are ready to take down the world’s most evasive human trafficker.</p><p>--------------</p><p>The party takes place at Lennox’s house—or more like three mansions stacked on top of each other and spread over an few acres of prime real estate. In the back of the limo, Lexa makes sure Clarke is properly mic-ed up, and runs through the plan one more time.</p><p>“Remember, all you need to do is find out where she is hiding the evidence. Once you know that, we’ll extract you.”</p><p>Clarke nods and tries to swallow her nerves.</p><p>“I’ll be sneaking back here and hiding on an upper level of the mansion waiting for your cue. If you need me, I’ll be there,” Lexa reassures.</p><p>Clarke nods again.</p><p>Anya pipes up from the driver’s seat, “Remember, if she invites you to the fountain in her garden, you’re in.”</p><p>“Is there something special about fountains?”</p><p>“Just trust me. That’s her move for a first kiss. Don’t turn her down.”</p><p>Clarke nods again.</p><p>Lexa slides the tracking watch off of Clarke’s wrist. It’s not formal enough for an event like this.</p><p>“Okay. You’re ready, and we’re at the front of the valet and limo line. Good luck, Clarke,” Lexa says with a sincere smile. She ducks out of view as an attendant opens the back door of the limo, and Clarke steps out. She’s wearing a black evening gown, stilettos, and holding a tasteful clutch. Her hair is pulled back and the smoky eyeliner makes her blue eyes pop. Lennox would be an idiot if she didn’t try to pick her up, Lexa thinks as the car drives away.</p><p>-------------</p><p>Upon entry, Clarke grabs a flute of champagne to keep her hands busy, and begins scanning the crowd for her mark.</p><p>Clarke spots her from across the room. Before approaching her, Clarke takes a few moments to watch her. She’s wearing tight suit pants, a matching jacket, and a tie. No shirt. She’s unreasonably good looking. You know, if it weren’t for the human trafficking. She’s also standing near the bar, a disinterested stare on her face as she looks about the room. They make brief and unintentional eye contact, which Clarke takes as her cue to come over to the bar.</p><p>“You look bored at your own party.”</p><p>“Not feeling it today.”</p><p>“What can I do to help that,” Clarke asks, taking this opportunity to run her fingers up Lennox’s arm.</p><p>“Viola,” she says, extending a hand towards Clarke.</p><p>“Clarke.”</p><p>“Interesting name.”</p><p>“It was my grandfather’s.”</p><p>Lennox laughs at the unexpected retort.</p><p>They continue talking for nearly thirty minutes, the conversation rife with heavy flirting, intense eye contact, frequent excuses to touch each other. Lennox finally asks Clarke if she’d like a tour of the garden. There’s a great fountain that makes it a peaceful promenade destination and will get them out of the stuffy party for the time being.</p><p>They wander through the outdoor garden. Lennox points out different plants and flowers. Clarke asks follow-up questions. Eventually, the path leads them to a small fountain illuminated by a small light and the stars. It is a romantic spot, Clarke admits to herself.</p><p>Their conversation lulls as the two stand looking at the fountain, and then out of seemingly nowhere, Lennox pulls Clarke’s face to her own and kisses her.</p><p>Her kiss feels wrong. She’s too aggressive, leading with her teeth and her tongue and Clarke hates it, but this is to potentially save thousands of lives so she squeezes her eyes tightly and lets it happen.</p><p>Suddenly, Lennox pulls away to ask, “Do you want to take this upstairs?”</p><p>“Lead the way.”</p><p>-----------------</p><p>The two stumble into Lennox’s bedroom. Clarke tries to slow things down by feigning interest in the décor of the room, but Lennox isn’t quite as easily distracted. She begins tugging at the zipper of Clarke’s dress.</p><p>“Wow, what nice big windows you have in here,” Clarke comments. Her comment goes unnoticed.</p><p>Oh god. Where are Anya and Lexa? This is going too far, too fast, and Clarke hasn’t even flashed yet.</p><p>As the thought crosses her mind, a pendant sitting on the nightstand near the bed catches her eye, and Clarke’s vision blurs.  </p><p>Photos of women being bought and sold. Illegal labor camps. Transport of people through shipping containers. Prominent CEOs being caught with sex workers. Forged trade documents.</p><p>The evidence is stored in a microchip in the necklace.</p><p>Lennox mistakes Clarke’s lapse in focus and vision as pleasure and spurs on, tugging the zipper down and leaving Clarke in only her underwear. Clarke’s vision refocuses, and she’s suddenly much more afraid of being alone in a room with this woman, so she tries to ruin the mood by asking a bit more about her business, “So tell me more about your business in Guatemala.”</p><p>“I never mentioned business in Guatemala. We talked about my business in Japan and Brazil, but I never said Guatemala.”</p><p>Shit. Clarke tries to cover for herself, “I meant Japan. Ha. Tomato potato.”</p><p>Lennox seems to accept the slip up, and leans back in to kiss Clarke, backing her up to the bed.</p><p>She holds Clarke’s hands over her head in a move that would be hot if Clarke weren’t so afraid of being murdered or sold into sex work right now. Clarke hears a clink, a click, and then feels something cold around her wrists.</p><p>Lennox just handcuffed her to the headboard.</p><p>“I’m not really into the whole… um… BDSM thing. Can you take these off?”</p><p>“I never mentioned Guatemala. Who are you? What do you know?” Lennox pulls a gun from her dresser drawer, cocks it, and aims it at Clarke.</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Clarke plays dumb.</p><p>“I went through the guest list one by one. There was no Clarke on it. Who are you, and why are you here?”</p><p>Clarke gets desperate. Last time someone held a weapon up to her, she got stabbed. The wound had only just healed.</p><p>Clarke starts to sweat. Lennox pressed on with her questions, continuing to threaten Clarke. Where is Lexa?</p><p>Lennox is getting impatient and erratic. She’s paranoid. Ranting about who would have sold her out, wildly gesticulating the gun around the room. Finger never leaving the trigger. Clarke’s heart is nearly pounding out of her chest.</p><p>Clarke squeezes her eyes shut, bracing herself for the sound of a gunshot, but instead, she hears the sound of glass shattering.</p><p>Clarke’s eyes fly open to see Lexa barreling through the window from a rope. Lennox is too shocked to react and is quickly wrestled to the ground and handcuffed. When Lennox tries to scream, Lexa stuffs her own tie into her mouth. An aggressive “You should learn a thing or two about consent” accompanies an extra punch, and Lennox goes limp on the floor.  </p><p>She fishes her own key out of her pocket and heads towards the bed, where Clarke sits in her underwear, gaping like a fish out of water, and still handcuffed to the headboard.</p><p>Lexa’s voice softens, “Clarke, are you okay?” She reaches her hand to touch Clarke’s cheek, and Clarke rests her face in Lexa’s palm.</p><p>“I am now.”</p><p>Lexa makes quick work to uncuff Clarke, when Clarke notices a deep cut on Lexa’s bicep. “You’re bleeding.”</p><p>“It’s just a flesh wound,” Lexa says, flashing a cocky smirk.</p><p>Lexa helps Clarke back into her dress. Clarke puts the microchip pendant into her purse, but when she heads for the door, Lexa stops her.</p><p>“We’re repelling out the window. We can’t exactly kidnap the hostess right in front of her guests and all of security. Come on. Anya is waiting in the limo outside.”</p><p>Lexa hogties Lennox, then slowly lowers her out the window, where Anya unloads her and shoves her into the limo. </p><p>Lexa pulls the rope back up, ties a functional knot around her waist, and asks Clarke to hold on to her as they slide down the rope back to the safety of the ground.</p><p>Clarke clings to the safety and warmth Lexa offers, and if anyone asks, it was because they were dangling two stories out the window, not out of gratitude for saving her life. </p><p>When they get back to The Cave, Anya processes Lennox and the microchip, double checking that there is, in fact, enough evidence to put her away for a long time. </p><p>Clarke helps patch up Lexa’s arm, applying glue and a band-aid to keep it from reopening. Her hands are gentle and soft, and she avoids talking about anything other than missions. </p><p>When their patchwork and paperwork is done, Clarke leaves to go home. On her way out, Lexa asks when she’ll see her again. Clarke assures her she’ll be at the next briefing, and when Lexa’s face falls just a little, she adds that maybe Lexa should drop by for dinner with Lincoln and Octavia. Just to maintain their cover. </p><p>---------------</p><p>On Tuesday night, Raven asks Clarke if she wants to come over to play video games and eat pizza. When Clarke reminds her that it’s Chinese food night, and that she has plans with Octavia and Lincoln, Raven suggests that Clarke invite Lexa for a double date. Raven declines when the offer to fifth wheel is extended to her, but that was part of her plan anyway.</p><p>There’s something about Lexa that’s still suspicious. They broke up, and Clarke was devastated. Lexa sees her ex, who happens to be Clarke’s nemesis, again. A woman Clarke hasn’t seen since the betrayal, and instead of spiraling out like a normal person, she just accepted it without question? Nah. Something is fishy.</p><p>Octavia encouraged Raven to let it go. “Clarke is happy. Let her be happy,” she said, but Raven knows better.</p><p>That night, when she knows everyone is out to dinner, she drives over to Lexa’s apartment again. This time, she’s equipped with a lock picking set.</p><p>After fumbling with the lock for a few minutes, Raven hears it click, and the knob turns, allowing her into Lexa’s apartment. She combs through Lexa’s bookshelf, searches through files on her coffee table, digs through her drawers in every room in her house.</p><p>She doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary until she gets to the closet, where tucked between two sets up pants, she finds a Spanish passport. She flips through the pages, looking at the various country stamps, but eventually opening to the identification page where it reads “Alicia Clark” next to a picture of Lexa.</p><p>What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuuuuck. Raven asks herself. Why would Lexa have a passport from another country? With a different name? Raven pulls out her phone and snaps a few photos of the passport, then replaces it where she found it.</p><p>She’s about to leave when a safe in the corner of the closet catches her eye. It’s open. Raven uses a pen to push the door all the way open so she can take a look at what is inside. When she finally has a good view, she yelps out loud.</p><p>The safe has a gun in it. A gun. A silencer. And plenty of ammo.</p><p>What the hell does Lexa need this stuff for?</p><p>The sight of the gun freaks Raven out more than she expected. So she gathers her things, tries to wipe her prints off of everything she may have touched, and bolts out of the apartment as quickly as she can.</p><p>Once she’s safely inside her car, she dials Octavia’s number. She doesn’t answer so Raven leaves a message. “Hey O. It’s me. I think I might have been right about Lexa. Call me back.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Clarke Vs. The Neighborhood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I was in her apartment.”</p><p>“You broke into her apartment.”</p><p>“That doesn’t matter. What I found cancels that out and fully confirms my suspicions.”</p><p>“Okay, show me what you found.”</p><p>Raven pulls out her phone and slides closer to Octavia on the couch. She begins, “The first thing I found was a passport in one of her drawers.”</p><p>“So it’s illegal to have a passport now?”</p><p>“No, of course not, but look at it,” Raven replies, zooming in on the name.</p><p>“Alicia Clark…okay…that’s weird.”</p><p>“Right?! Does she have a fake passport, which, by the way, is illegal, or is her name not really Lexa Woods? I honestly don’t know which one of those is worse.”</p><p>“That’s… I don’t either. Maybe it was just a prop from a play or movie or something?” Octavia asks, fishing for excuses that would allow her best friend to stay in a happy relationship with this woman.</p><p>“With that good of a fake? I don’t think so. Besides, Lexa wasn’t one of those aspiring actresses in LA types. She’s got a goddamn biology degree for god sakes. This isn’t even the most incriminating thing I found.”</p><p>“Oh no.”</p><p>Raven flips through a few more pictures on her phone until she finds the one of the gun safe, then hands the phone back to Octavia without another word.</p><p>Octavia cringes at the sight. “Maybe she’s just a gun enthusiast?”</p><p>“You see how that’s worse, right?” Raven asks. There’s a slight lull in the conversation until she says, “Oh god! What if she’s a republican?!”</p><p>“This is so much worse…”</p><p>“Oh god. Oh no,” Raven continues before beginning to rant in Spanish that Octavia doesn’t understand. Raven realizes the confused look on Octavia’s face and clarifies, “We have to break them up.”</p><p>Their conversation is interrupted by the creak of the front door as Clarke walks back into the apartment. Raven and Octavia try to play it cool. “How was your shift?”</p><p>“Exhausting. Boring. The usual.”</p><p>“Why are you home so late?”</p><p>“Lexa and I grabbed dinner after work. She has some friends that are going out of town for the weekend and asked us to house sit for them. So if I’m not around this weekend, that’s where I am!”</p><p>Raven and Octavia share a concerned look. “I take it that means things are going really well with you and Lexa then?”</p><p>“Yeah, things are great,” Clarke lies. 306? Why does she even bother to keep track of the lies anymore?</p><p> “They must be. You’re basically practicing living together by house-sitting,” Octavia adds.</p><p>Clarke rolls her eyes and starts to head for her room. “It’s not that big of a deal!” she shouts over her shoulder.</p><p>Once out of earshot, Raven turns to Octavia again, “We can’t let her go right? What if Lexa murders her?!”</p><p>“What choice do we have? We either ruin our relationship with her by telling her all about what you found when you broke into her girlfriend’s house, or we wait it out and see if Lexa has a good reason for it all.”</p><p>“If Lexa is even her real name…”</p><p>--------------------</p><p>“What did you tell Octavia and Lincoln?” Lexa asks. She’s dressed more casually than Clarke has ever seen her for a mission. She’s wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, a leather jacket, and aviator sunglasses as she drives them down the I-405 freeway.</p><p>“I lied and told them we were house-sitting this weekend,” Clarke explains.</p><p>“Oh. Smart cover story.”</p><p>“Thanks. I didn’t think ‘Hey O! Lexa and I are going to go infiltrate a potential terrorist ring this weekend’ would go over very well.”</p><p>Lexa laughs and nods.</p><p>“It’s weird that they have taken over a whole neighborhood complex isn’t it?”</p><p>“Definitely. There’s got to be something deeper than just a living community going on there.”</p><p>“Remind me again what the cover story is?”</p><p>“We’re a newlywed couple that just bought the last house in the cul-de-sac. Oh that reminds me,” Lexa says, digging into the pocket of her leather jacket. She pulls out two wedding rings and an engagement ring. She slides the wedding band on her left ring finger, then hands the other rings to Clarke and tells her to put them on.</p><p>“Oh Lex, you shouldn’t have!” Clarke jokes as she studies the new bling on her finger. “Is this real though? This rock is the size of a raisin!”</p><p>“If the neighbors ask, yes, but I honestly have no idea,” Lexa says with a grin.</p><p>“Wow, cheaping out on me I see.”</p><p>There’s a lull in the conversation before Clarke brings up the mission again. “So we’re essentially going undercover to learn more about our neighbors, figure out what they’re up to, and stop it?”</p><p>“Yeah pretty much. They’ll likely try to recruit us for The Ark, and we play innocent.”</p><p>Thirty minutes later, they pull into their new cul-de-sac. Every house is identical. Their lawns are immaculate. There’s something eerie about how pristine and perfect it is. When they drive by the sign with the name of the complex “The Cedars,” Clarke’s vision blurs.</p><p>Weapons. Schematics for a supercomputer. Stolen and redacted documents. A double agent. Neuroscience research. Laboratory test subjects. The name Polaris. CIA tracing information.</p><p>Clarke’s vision refocuses right as Lexa pulls into the driveway. “You okay?” she asks.</p><p>“Yeah, but I think I know what this neighborhood is a cover for… They’re trying to build their own Intersect.”</p><p>“Not on our watch.”</p><p>Clarke grimaces in response, unsure how to stop their plan with the information in that flash.</p><p>Lexa quickly redirects the conversation to their new home. “We’ll worry about that soon enough. For now, let’s take a tour of our new home.” She jingles the house keys and starts to walk up the front steps. Clarke reluctantly follows.</p><p>Clarke expects an empty house—it’s only a cover. However, when Lexa swings the door open to reveal a fully furnished home, she’s somewhat taken aback. Even more so when a golden retriever comes bounding to greet them.</p><p>“We have a dog?”</p><p>“Yes, honey. How could you forget getting this fluffball?!” Lexa drops to her knees and starts wrestling with the dog, making low growling noises as they play. While on the floor, she checks his tags. “His name is Fish!”</p><p>Clarke takes the opportunity to explore the rest of the house alone. There are photos everywhere. There’s a photo of her and Lexa in the mountains. There are childhood photos of both of them. There are photos of trips to other countries, wide grins on each of their faces as they pose in front of statues and pretty scenery. Not a single photo is real. They’re all photoshopped, but they look so real, that Clarke feels a pang in her chest for the alternate universe where this is their life instead of a fake relationship for a CIA cover.</p><p>The photo that gets her the most is their photoshopped wedding photo. Pristine white dresses, adoringly wrapped in each other’s arms, rings proudly displayed on their hands. And Clarke’s heart begins to ache.</p><p>She stops looking at the details and just tries to explore the rooms. There are three bedrooms—that’s good. They won’t have to share a room or a bed. The house is cozy, homey, and exactly the way Clarke would want her own real home to be.</p><p>Lexa sneaks up behind her. “What do you think?”</p><p>“Someone at the CIA is really good at photoshop.”</p><p>“Yeah, we look good.”</p><p>Fish jumps onto the couch. “Fish. No. Off,” Lexa says sternly.</p><p>Fish immediately jumps off. “Did you train him or something?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Uh, no. I met him about five minutes ago. I just… really like dogs. I’ve always wanted one, but a CIA job doesn’t really allow for much settling down.”</p><p>They order pizza for dinner, and try to avoid the work talk. At the end of the evening, they bid each other goodnight, and head to separate bedrooms, Fish in toe with Lexa.</p><p>---------------</p><p>The next morning, Clarke wakes up to the smell of bacon. She pads down the steps in her pajamas, and heads for the kitchen.</p><p>She finds Lexa standing by the stove, cooking bacon. She’s wearing a light blue cotton t-shirt and boyshorts, her hair is in a messy bun atop her head, and Clarke is struck by how… soft she looks. Lexa spots Clarke out of the corner of her eye as she pulls a frittata out of the oven and a fruit salad out of the fridge. Clarke stares at her a bit dumbfounded.</p><p>“I hope you’re hungry,” Lexa says with a smile. She cuts a slice of frittata, scoops a bowl of fruit, and piles some bacon onto a plate, then slides it to Clarke with a fork.</p><p>Clarke takes a bite and is immediately impressed by how good everything is. Lexa waits expectantly before Clarke says, “This is delicious.”</p><p>Lexa beams.</p><p>“I never expected you to be so… domestic.”  </p><p>Lexa shrugs and attends to fixing her own plate.</p><p>“Does Lexa Woods, badass CIA agent, who I’ve seen knock a man three times her size unconscious with a single punch, secretly dream of being a housewife?”</p><p>Lexa blushes and rolls her eyes, “I can be both, Clarke.”</p><p>“I know, I just never expected that you’d want that. I figured you were too focused on the job to think like that.”</p><p>“I mean, yeah I’ve thought about it. I can’t be a CIA field agent forever. Eventually, I’d like to settle down with a nice girl. A dog. A couple of kids. I could coach their soccer team. Or teach them karate.”</p><p>Clarke’s heart rate picks up, because everything Lexa just said sounded perfect. And maybe, just maybe, Lexa could do normal. But then Clarke remembers Lexa’s “No” while on truth serum, and her hopes plummet back into the pit of her stomach. Lexa may want normal, but she doesn’t want it with Clarke.</p><p>Lexa reads the discomfort on Clarke’s face, and realizes she’s said too much. She flusters to change the subject. “I’m thinking we host a neighborhood barbeque to meet everyone? We can figure out who is Ark and who is just a regular person in this neighborhood. Make friends, schmooze a little bit, then find next steps from there?”</p><p>“Yeah that sounds like a good plan.”</p><p>“Good because everyone already got an invite in their mailbox this morning.”</p><p>-------------</p><p>By the time 6:00 rolls around, Lexa has prepped four enormous salads, a few watermelons, and a seemingly endless platter of burgers and hotdogs for the grill, which she intends to man herself.</p><p>As guests begin to arrive to their backyard, Clarke finally comes out back to greet Lexa with a quick kiss. The two then move as a unit throughout the party. Lexa places a protective hand at the small of Clarke’s back as they introduce themselves to each new arrival.</p><p>The first couple, the Thompsons, arrive carrying a tray of brownies, but it’s their faces that cause Clarke’s vision to blur mid-introduction.</p><p>A computer science degree. Stolen social security numbers. Fiber optic cable orders.  Redacted mission files. CIA wanted lists.</p><p>Clarke’s vision clears right as Lexa says, “And this is my wife, Clarke.”</p><p>Clarke smiles and extends a hand, tells them where they can leave the brownies, and to please eat because they made way too much food. As they settle into the backyard, Clarke turns to Lexa and says, “I flashed on them. Computer scientists. Probably working on the Intersect here.”</p><p>“Noted. I’ll keep an eye on them.”</p><p>Clarke turns to scan the rest of their party guests and again, her vision blurs.</p><p>Neurologists. Illegal medical testing in foreign countries. CIA Intersect files. Incomplete code.</p><p>She’s about to tell Lexa that she flashed again, when she sees another face and her vision clouds again.</p><p>Neuropsychologists. Studies on brain elasticity and memory coding.</p><p>Enforcers. Assassination attempts. KKK ties. Congressmen with ties to them. Ark lobbyists.</p><p>Flash. Flash. Flash.</p><p>Clarke is so dizzy at this point that Lexa practically has to carry her to a chair. She kneels down in front of her, brushing the hair from her face. “Clarke, are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think so. I’ve just flashed on nearly everyone at the party. They’re all Ark agents. They’re all working for the Intersect project in one way or another.”</p><p>“I’ll bring you some water and some food. Don’t move.”</p><p>When she returns, she kisses Clarke on the forehead and assures they’ll debrief after the barbeque. She then heads to the grill to start the burgers and hotdogs.</p><p>“Your wife alright over there?” Mr. Thompson asks.</p><p>“Oh, yeah. She’s just a bit dehydrated I think,” Lexa answers.</p><p>When Clarke feels a bit better, they spend most of party schmoozing the other guests. Finding out about their jobs, how they met their spouses, and general sports talk. It’s all a lie. Every time one of them tells Clarke they’re an accountant, Clarke knows exactly what their role for The Ark Organization is. And it’s definitely not managing the books.</p><p>Lexa has a bit more success getting more reliable information out of them. She drops a few hints of white supremacist ideals, and they begin asking more probing questions to figure out if she is also an Ark agent. She must have said something right because she lands them a dinner invite with the Thompsons for the next night.</p><p>Mid-accepting the invitation, she realizes that she should check with her wife before fully agreeing, so she excuses herself to go find Clarke. After a quick survey of the backyard, she fails to see a flash on blonde hair, so she goes inside to check.</p><p>“Clarke?” she calls into the seemingly empty house.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Where’d you go?”</p><p>“I’m in the kitchen!”</p><p>Lexa heads to the kitchen where she finds Clarke leaning against the counter with her back to her. Clarke hears her coming and turns, and Lexa halts in her tracks.</p><p>“You…you have a baby?”</p><p>“Yeah! Look at this little nugget!” Clarke says lifting the baby over her head as the baby giggles. Clarke addresses the baby, “You’re so cute. Yes you are! Wheee!” and lifts him over her head once again.</p><p>“Where did you?”</p><p>“One of our neighbors. He’s the only human I haven’t flashed on all evening so I’ve been hiding out with him in here for a little bit,” she admits somewhat sheepishly.</p><p>“Oh,” is all Lexa can answer, still staring unblinkingly at the sight of Clarke with this baby in her arms.</p><p>“You okay?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Mhm. We got an invite to the Thompson’s for dinner tomorrow night. I think they’re our best lead for the Ark’s Intersect project.” Lexa is still staring at the baby, who is currently pulling Clarke’s hair as she smiles at him.</p><p>Clarke answers Lexa, but is still looking at the baby and talking in a cheerful tone, “Based on my flash, they’re the project lead, so yeah we should definitely check out their place if we can.”</p><p>They stay in the kitchen for a few more minutes before deciding they should be polite hosts, and return to their own barbeque. Clarke hands the baby back to his mother, then gets a plate of watermelon for herself and has a seat with some of the other wives who are watching a little boy kick a soccer ball around.</p><p>Lexa starts to walk over to Clarke, but is stopped by the little boy. “Will you play with me?”</p><p>He’s small and cute, and the only kid at the barbeque, and Lexa can’t stop herself from saying, “Sure, buddy.”</p><p>Clarke watches from her seat on the patio as Lexa does rainbows and some tricky footwork to impress the kid, then takes her place as goalie for him to shoot. She makes dramatic lunges and dives to the intentionally wrong side of the goal so that his shot rolls through, then wails in anguish at her defeat. The little boy giggles and they reset to do it all over again.</p><p>When Lexa does a victory lap with him on her shoulders as he cheers, Clarke’s heart skips a beat.</p><p>The sun is setting, and it’s past his bedtime when his dad comes to pick him up. He resists, wanting to play with his new friend, until Lexa tries to drive his little red car back to his house in his place.</p><p>When he gently shoves her off his car, and rides alongside his father, he turns and says, “Bye Wexa!”</p><p>And Lexa, still seated on the grass waves back before getting up to steal some watermelon from Clarke’s plate.</p><p>She approaches the group of ladies and leans over to plant a sweaty kiss to Clarke’s cheek as a greeting.</p><p>“Ewww, you’re wet!”</p><p>“I was in a very intense soccer match, Clarke. It’s to be expected,” she deadpans back.</p><p>Clarke rolls her eyes are wipes some dirt off Lexa’s cheek and points out some grass stains on her formerly white T-shirt.</p><p>As the evening winds down, their neighbors trickle home until Clarke and Lexa are left alone on their patio furniture, lounging in chairs, and sipping beers.</p><p>“You know, despite the majority of the neighborhood being a terrorist cell, tonight was kind of fun,” Clarke admits.</p><p>“Yeah? The suburban life looking good for ya?” Lexa asks.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean once I get this thing out of my head, I’ll be free to do anything I want. A house. Kids. It all sounds pretty good.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Lexa hums. “You were pretty cute with that baby.”</p><p>“Speak for yourself, soccer star.”</p><p>“You know I played varsity soccer at Carolina, right?”</p><p>“That’s… so hot…”</p><p>“Mhm. You and your Stanford buddies were our biggest competition,” Lexa adds.</p><p>They’re both a little buzzed, and Lexa likes how much more candid she is than usual. They both let the “What if” go unspoken between them, but enjoy each other’s company, knowing the other has no interest in their “What if” being with each other.</p><p>---------------</p><p>The following evening, the Griffin-Woods’ walk hand in hand down the street to the Thompson’s house.</p><p>They are greeted at the front door by Mr. Thompson, who quickly ushers them inside and gives them a small tour of the house. Clarke and Lexa follow along, bullshitting a conversation about the benefits of various home floor plans.</p><p>They’re halfway down the hallway when Clarke flashes on the door.</p><p>Fiber optic cables. Underground bases. Installation quotes. Supercomputer schematics. Neuroscience laboratories.</p><p>Clarke’s vision clears and she asks, “Where does this door lead?”</p><p>“Oh, just to the basement,” Mr. Thompson answers.</p><p>Liar. Clarke squeezes Lexa’s hand extra tight trying to communicate the danger to her.</p><p>Thompson switches gears once they settle into the dining room for their first course. Mrs. Thompson brings out some salads, and Lexa excuses herself to use the bathroom, leaving Clarke alone with them.</p><p>They make forced and uncomfortable small talk while waiting for Lexa to return. It’s been a long time. Too long. The Thompsons begin to get suspicious, and Mrs. Thompson excuses herself, claiming to go check on Lexa in the bathroom.</p><p>She comes back seconds later. “She’s not there.”</p><p>“Get up,” Mr. Thompson orders Clarke.</p><p>Clarke stands, and tries to play innocent. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“Let’s go,” he says. He holds her tightly by the upper arm, squeezing too tightly for comfort, and leads her towards the basement door. He pushes Clarke to go first down the stairs into the laboratory. It’s a giant white room with a medical chair in the middle. Next to it is a room full of computers and servers.</p><p>“Come on out, Lexa! We know you’re down here!” Thompson taunts. Lexa has been in the lab for the last fifteen minutes trying to disarm and destroy all of their servers, but once she sees they have Clarke, she stops, and tries to play dumb.</p><p>“Hey John. Just got a little lost trying to find the bathroom, and was just so intrigued by your lab, I couldn’t help myself.”</p><p>“No you weren’t. You’re here to destroy our Intersect project.”</p><p>“Your what?” Lexa feigns innocence.</p><p>“Don’t play dumb with me. You even brought the CIA’s Intersect,” he says, gesturing towards Clarke.</p><p>Clarke and Lexa share a panicked look.</p><p>“Oh, please, we saw her last night. Blurred vision, dizzy, but only in response to novel visual stimuli. Of course, we weren’t one hundred percent sure yet, which is why we had to invite you over for dinner.”</p><p>As Thompson gives his evil monologue, Mrs. Thompson sneaks up behind Lexa and subdues her, tying her arms behind her back, as Lexa is too busy trying to calculate the safest next steps to escape. She lets the Thompsons think they have the upper hand.</p><p>“We’ve been working with Polaris.”</p><p>The name instantly gets Clarke’s attention. Her way out of this is in Ark hands.</p><p>“Your old CIA buddy? He’s been very helpful when we force him to be. We actually think we might just be ready for our first successful human trial,” he says, and begins to shove Clarke towards a dental chair. Clarke tries to fight against him, but he’s much bigger. He overpowers her, strapping her to the chair and prying her eyes open.</p><p>“Let her go,” Lexa cries, fighting against her restraints. They’re stronger than Lexa thought they would be, and she’s genuinely concerned she won’t be able to get out of them.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you actually have feelings for your wife here, do you?”</p><p>The panic rises in her voice, “I said, let her go!”</p><p>“As I was saying, she’s successfully taken an Intersect before, so she might just take this one, and then The Ark will be unstoppable.”</p><p>He finishes tightening the restraints on Clarke’s legs, then heads to a control panel in the adjacent room, and starts tapping a number sequence and password.</p><p>Clarke fights against her restraints. Lexa fights against hers. They lock eyes as a countdown from 10 begins.</p><p>10…9… flashes along all four walls and the ceiling of the open room, as they both realize the walls are monitors.</p><p>Clarke screams, “Lexa!” and tries to close her eyes, but they are held open. Lexa throws her entire body into Mrs. Thompson, sending her careening backwards, then lands a kick to the stomach. She slides a knife out of her boot to cut the rope off of her wrists, then she dives into the white room. The countdown is down to 4…3…</p><p>Mr. Thompson is too busy adjusting final settings to notice Lexa is also in the testing room. Lexa pulls the metal away from Clarke’s eyes so she has the option to close them, when Mr. Thompson notices Lexa and runs into the room screaming, “No!”</p><p>1…</p><p>Lexa turns to Clarke. “Close your eyes,” she instructs, then grabs Clarke’s head, and buries it into her neck, and buries her own into Clarke’s so they don’t see the images flashing on the walls and ceiling screens.</p><p>0… There’s a faint hum. Image after image. Hundreds at a time flash on every screen, but Clarke and Lexa stay buried in each other, and refuse to look up.</p><p>Three minutes later, the hum stops, and Lexa cautiously lifts her head from Clarke’s shoulder to find the room has returned to its neutral setting.</p><p>She turns to find Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, unconscious on the floor, bleeding out of their eyes and noses. They must not have thought about protective gear when they tried to follow Lexa to prevent her from getting to Clarke.</p><p>Lexa gently undoes the straps around Clarke, and helps her to her feet. “We’re safe now.”</p><p>Clarke then goes about destroying the server and every computer in the lab. She adds viruses to some, overheats others, and just completely smashes the last of them. They make sure every remnant of the Ark Intersect is unusable.  </p><p>And while they have prevented the Ark from creating a new Intersect, one thing becomes very clear: The Ark has Polaris.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Lexa returns to The Cave to finish up some paperwork for the mission. She runs into Anya, who had been there for the same reason—some side mission from Beckman.</p><p>“How was the mission?”</p><p>“It was good. Kind of nice to be in the burbs for a little bit. Pretend just for a moment that we’re normal people.”</p><p>“Ugh, sounds awful,” Anya scoffs.</p><p>“It wasn’t too bad. I had a dog.”</p><p>“And a wife apparently?” Anya says, pointing to the wedding ring Lexa is still wearing.</p><p>“Oh. Yeah. That too,” Lexa says, fidgeting with the ring. She hesitates to take it off, enjoying the feel of it on her finger. With a sigh, she twists it off her finger, and places it in the safe in The Cave. Clarke’s rings are already in it.</p><p>Lexa switches to fidgeting with the infinity necklace as she finishes her paperwork, and recaps the successful mission and new information about Polaris for Beckman.</p><p>--------------</p><p>Clarke pushes her way through the front door, and tosses her shoes and suitcase down.</p><p>From the couch, Octavia asks, “How was it?”</p><p>“It was good,” Clarke says. Technically not a lie. Successful mission.</p><p>“Do we hear wedding bells?” The cheeky grin on Octavia’s face is more salt in the wound than anything else.</p><p>“I don’t think so O. I think girlfriends is all Lexa and I will ever be. Just didn’t feel right together.” Lie number three hundred and seven. “We’re happy for now, but that’s about it.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry Clarke…”</p><p>Clarke gives Octavia a shrug, then heads to her room with her stuff. Once out of earshot, Octavia calls Raven, and leaves a message. “Hey Rae. We might not have to do anything about that thing we talked about last week. Sounds like the weekend didn’t go that well.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Clarke Vs. The CIA</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Team Intersect sits at the conference table awaiting Beckman for their briefing. It’s been a week since Clarke found out that The Ark has Polaris, and she’s growing increasingly anxious about the lack of urgency surrounding a rescue mission. She compulsively sips on the water in front of her to occupy her fidgeting hands.</p><p>When Beckman’s face appears on the screen, she begins with an update on Polaris. “Thanks to your recon mission last week at The Cedars, we are now confident that The Ark has Polaris in their custody, and are trying to use him to create their own Intersect.”</p><p>Beckman shows a photo of a middle aged white man. “This is Polaris.”</p><p>Clarke sprays the water that was in her mouth all over the table and also Anya. Anya, completely unamused, grabs a napkin to dry her face.</p><p>Beckman ignores Clarke, continuing her briefing. “Jacob Griffin went dark shortly after completing the first Intersect. We assume this is when The Ark took him. Your job is to infiltrate the Ark base where he is being kept and rescue him.”</p><p>“I’m sorry. My father is the inventor of the Intersect and you didn’t think that was a relevant thing to mention?” Clarke asks.</p><p>Beckman answers, “We did not believe it was pertinent to your situation.”</p><p>“NOT PERTINENT?” Clarke fumes. She turns to Lexa in disbelief, “Did you know?”</p><p>“Not until about thirty seconds ago.”</p><p>Clarke spirals, “My dad invented the Intersect. My dad. Who went missing while I was in college invented the Intersect. My father works for the CIA… my dad… can help me get this thing out of my head…”</p><p>“Colonel Forrest, may I have a word with just you?” Beckman requests.</p><p>“Clarke, let’s go start planning in the other room,” Lexa offers. Clarke blindly stands and follows her, clearly still trying to process.</p><p>When Clarke and Lexa get to the other room, Lexa excuses herself to go to the bathroom, but instead hovers near the entrance to the conference room and listens to Beckman’s private briefing with Anya.</p><p>“Now that we have located Polaris, and the Intersect 2.0 will be up and running soon, I think it’s time that you proceed with your initial mission.”<br/>Lexa gasps, but slams a hand over her mouth to cover the sound.</p><p>“Yes sir. Intersect 1.0 will be eliminated as soon as possible,” Anya accepts her orders. She makes no attempt to argue for Clarke’s life.</p><p>Lexa hears Anya gather her things and stand, but she moves faster than Lexa anticipates, and she ends up bumping into Lexa in the hallway outside the door.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have been listening to that.”</p><p>“Anya, you can’t.”</p><p>“Lexa, you know as well as anyone that we can’t choose feelings over duty.”</p><p>“So we’re just supposed to proceed with this mission as normal, go in that room and plan with her, just for you to put a bullet in her brain when it’s over?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Lexa nods, tears stinging the back of her eyes, but she forces them down, and follows Anya into the planning room to work out a plan to rescue Polaris.</p><p>------------------</p><p>Lexa knocks on Clarke’s apartment door at 9:00PM, and a pajama-clad Octavia swings open the door.</p><p>Octavia barely offers a greeting before she yells, “Clarke! It’s Lexa!” down the hall.</p><p>Clarke appears from her room, and cocks her head to the side once she sees Lexa. “What are you doing here? We were supposed to leave tomorrow morning at 9:00.”</p><p>“I know,” Lexa says, checking over her shoulder. “But I need you to trust me. Do you have your bag?”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s right here,” Clarke points to the bag near the entrance.</p><p>“Good, grab it. And follow me.”</p><p>“Lexa, what’s going on? You seem… off?”</p><p>“I’ll explain in the car.”</p><p>Clarke follows Lexa to her car, throws her bag in the trunk, and then hops into the passenger’s seat.</p><p>“Where’s Anya?”</p><p>“Not coming.”</p><p>Lexa slides into the driver’s seat, and pulls the car out of the lot and towards the freeway. She keeps checking behind her every few seconds like a nervous tic.</p><p>“Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”</p><p>“Do you have your phone?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Clarke says, pulling it out of her pocket.</p><p>Lexa grabs it and throws it out of the car window.</p><p>“What the hell!”</p><p>Lexa takes a deep breath. “With the completion of the Intersect 2.0, you’re disposable. The US government has never had the intention of letting you return to civilian life.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Whether you got the Intersect out of your head or not, they never had any intention of letting you go back to your old life. You know too much.”</p><p>“So they’re just going to lock me in a basement for the rest of my life?”</p><p>“No,” Lexa says, staring straight ahead, and gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turn white. “Anya has orders to kill you.”</p><p>“What?! This isn’t funny, Lexa.”</p><p>Lexa turns to look at Clarke for a moment, “I’m not trying to be. Technically I do too…”</p><p>Clarke looks up with complete terror in her eyes, and reaches for her seatbelt, but then Lexa continues, “I was never going to let that happen. I’m not going to let that happen.”  </p><p>“You’re disobeying orders for me?” she asks, then takes a long pause. “Lexa, you’re committing treason. You could go to jail.”</p><p>“I know,” she responds, staring straight ahead.  </p><p>----------------</p><p>Seven hours later, Lexa pulls her car into a motel parking lot in the Arizona desert—the Ark base is nearby, and they’ll have a head start tomorrow morning. They are going to infiltrate the base without Anya, find Clarke’s dad, get the Intersect out of her head, and then escape.</p><p>Clarke and Lexa are both exhausted by the time they get into their one-bed motel room. In a daze, Clarke brushes her teeth and changes into sleep clothes, then Lexa follows suit.</p><p>Lexa grabs a blanket and pillow and starts to set up a cot on the floor. From the bed, Clarke says, “Lexa, I’m not making you sleep on the floor.” She pats the other side of the bed.</p><p>Lexa moves slowly to the bed, giving Clarke time to change her mind, then crawls under the covers.</p><p>Clarke creates a small pillow barricade between them, and they both fall asleep within seconds of their heads hitting their pillows.</p><p>-------------</p><p>Clarke wakes up hot.</p><p>Too hot.</p><p>She squints open her eyes to find herself wrapped around Lexa’s body. Spooning her. Lexa. Lexa, who is holding the hand thrown across her side. Lexa, who is sound asleep. So Clarke moves to carefully extract herself from this position, but as she goes to move, Lexa’s grip on her hand tightens. Then starts tracing patterns on her hand and arm.</p><p>Lexa. Lexa, who might be slightly more awake than Clarke initially thought?</p><p>Clarke moves to extract herself one more time, but this time, Lexa rolls with her, and her face is mere inches from Clarke’s face. Her piercing green eyes lock with Clarke’s.</p><p>They hesitate, continuing to stare at each other. Tension builds, and Clarke doesn’t dare to move, afraid she’ll spook.</p><p>Then Lexa leans in, and it feels like coming home. Lexa holds tightly to Clarke’s cheeks as she kisses her, switching angles, and starting to tug at her clothes. Clarke wraps her arms around Lexa and practically lifts her off the mattress to get her onto her lap.</p><p>Hands freely exploring, she tugs Lexa’s shirt off, then tosses her own, but still content to just kiss.</p><p>Clarke’s hands brace Lexa’s cheeks and she feels some wetness there. She pulls away to ask if she’s okay, and watches as Lexa’s lower lip quivers before diving back into the kiss.</p><p>When Lexa growls into the kiss, Clarke flips her onto her back, kissing down her neck, her chest, and her stomach, slipping off her shorts, and finally, finally, not faking it for Octavia’s sake.</p><p>-------------</p><p>They lie in naked sweaty silence. Clarke mindlessly traces Lexa’s tattoos as Lexa drifts in and out of sleep. Clarke leans up to kiss her shoulder and says, “We should probably get going soon, shouldn’t we?”</p><p>“Shhhh,” Lexa hushes.</p><p>Clarke can’t stop the grin, and indulges Lexa in a few more minutes of extra sleep and kisses.</p><p>They get dressed in silence, but share shy glances. They haven’t talked about what just happened. Clarke’s too afraid to ask and shatter the bubble.</p><p>Lexa tugs on a shirt, then walks over to Clarke and kisses her, sighing and resting her forehead against Clarke’s. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”</p><p>“You’ve kissed me plenty of times,” Clarke quips.</p><p>“Not the way I wanted to.”</p><p>Clarke has so many follow up questions. Lexa initiated this morning. Lexa kissed her first. Lexa said she wanted to for a long time. Clearly Clarke hasn’t imagined their chemistry, but what does that mean for them? Is Clarke even going to survive the week if they don’t find her dad and get this thing out of her head?</p><p>The thoughts sober Clarke immediately. Gone is the post-coital bliss. They have a mission to complete. Her life literally depends on it. She and Lexa can have the “What are we?” conversation another time.</p><p>Their motel door gets kicked down before Lexa has a chance to ask what’s running through Clarke’s mind. Through the broken doorframe, Anya strides into the room.</p><p>Lexa immediately puts her body between Anya and Clarke and draws her own gun.  “Anya, don’t,” Lexa warns.</p><p>“I should arrest you both,” Anya replies.</p><p>“Clarke didn’t do anything wrong.”  </p><p>“We have orders,” Anya says, then pauses, “But there’s no reason we can’t see if Polaris can get it out of Griffin’s head before we have to follow them.”</p><p>“So you’re not going to kill me?” Clarke pipes up from behind Lexa.</p><p>“Not yet. And not if I don’t have to. If we can get the Intersect out of your head, I see no reason why you can’t live out your days in Witness Protection. Beckman agreed—I spoke to her this morning.”</p><p>“And if he can’t get it out?” Lexa nervously asks.</p><p>“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it.”</p><p>Lexa’s defensive posture relaxes, Anya puts her gun away, and Clarke takes a deep breath.</p><p>Team Intersect is back to defeat The Ark.</p><p>----------</p><p>The Ark base is a thirteen-minute drive from the motel. It’s in the middle of the Arizona desert, largely untraceable for civilians. The facility is largely underground, save for an above ground door with an electronic lock.</p><p>Anya plugs in the keypad cracker, which after a few minutes, spits out the code used for the door. She punches it in, and they belay down the elevator shaft to the lower levels where Jake Griffin is being held.</p><p>There’s something eerie about the building. For such an important base, they have not run into any agents. It seems almost… abandoned?</p><p>“Is the emptiness freaking anyone else out?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“Why complain for an easy mission?” Anya responds.</p><p>“Something feels wrong… something feels like a trap.”</p><p>“Clarke’s right. Something feels off. This is too easy,” Lexa says.</p><p>But then Clarke catches sight of a room number mounted on the hallway, and her vision blurs.</p><p>The Cedars and their attempted Intersect. Mr. Thompson from that neighborhood. Jake Griffin’s social security number. The name Polaris. Neural network pathways entwined with computer code. Room 2293.</p><p>Her vision clears, “My dad is one level below. Room 2293.”</p><p>“Let’s move,” Anya says. Both Lexa and Anya have their guns drawn, Anya leading the group while Lexa brings up the rear, keeping an eye on their 6:00. Clarke stays in the middle and tries to remain as small a target as possible.</p><p>They stealthily make their way down the hallway to the staircase, and down to 2293, where they run into the first Ark Agents they have seen all day. There’s two of them standing guard of room 2293.</p><p>“Hey, what are you doing down here?” they shout once Team Intersect is in their line of sight.</p><p>Anya and Lexa each go after a guard, and in a quick series of hits, punches, and kicks, subdue both to what Clarke hopes is mere unconsciousness outside the door. Clarke stands there unhelpfully.</p><p>Anya shoves over the door to find Jake Griffin frantically typing at a computer. He looks tired, and like he’s taken more than one beating from his handlers.</p><p>“Dad?” Clarke calls.</p><p>Jake jumps at the sudden noise, then looks up, “Clarke?”</p><p>Clarke rushes over to him, and buries herself in his arms. She hasn’t seen him since she left for college her freshman year.</p><p>“Dad, what the hell? You’re a CIA agent? Is that why you left?”</p><p>“Clarke, you got my package!”</p><p>“Hate to break up this little reunion, but we need to get going before we get caught,” Anya interrupts. She is ignored.</p><p>“Package?”</p><p>“I had someone leave it at your handler’s doorstep just after The Ark took me. Sorry for the spray—I needed to make sure you spent time studying it. I was hoping it would start a trail of breadcrumbs for you to find me.”</p><p>“You dropped the package at Lexa’s door?”</p><p>“I knew you’d need a push to find me.”</p><p>“How did you even know I was The Intersect?” Clarke asks.</p><p>“When I developed the first one, The Ark was closing in on me, and I was working closely with Costia. We agreed you were the only one we could trust with it.”</p><p>Lexa clears her throat this time, “We do really need to go. We’ll make sure you have time to ask all of your questions soon, Clarke.”</p><p>Jake’s attention refocuses, as if for the first time he realizes that Clarke did not come into the room alone. “I can’t leave their Intersect behind. Clarke, do you have the key I left you?</p><p>“Key?”</p><p>“The necklace I left you,” Jake replies, not looking up from the glowing cube that just arose from the desk, encased in a metal and glass cylinder. There’s a small infinity hole at the base.</p><p>“I don’t, but…”</p><p>“I do,” Lexa says, sheepishly unclasping it from her neck for the first time since Clarke put in on her Christmas morning.</p><p>Jake looks up at Clarke in confusion, and Clarke deliberately avoids making eye contact. Jake looks between Clarke and Lexa for a few moments. Lexa offers a half-smile as she hands over the necklace.</p><p>Jake pushes the charm into the hole and twists. The top of the cylinder flies off and he pulls the cube from it and crushes it under his foot. “There. Now they’ll have to start over.”</p><p>Anya redirects them, “Okay now we gotta go.” Just as before, Anya leads the pack, with Lexa bringing up the rear. But this time, when Jake steps out of the room, alarms start blaring, and the team begins to run towards the exit.</p><p>“Wait! I forgot my sunglasses!” Jake says, and darts back into room 2293 to retrieve them.</p><p>“Seriously?” Anya asks Clarke, who gives her a shrug.</p><p>Jake returns to the group and hands them to Clarke, “Hold on to these for a sec, will you?”</p><p>Clarke looks confused but grabs them anyway, tucking them into the collar of her shirt.</p><p>At this point, agents start to pour out of every room, following the group. Anya guns a few of them down, but for each one that she shoots, another one appears. Anya yells into her watch, “Beckman, Polaris Extraction successful. Launch the strike. Now!” Anya then turns to Lexa, “We have three minutes before a drone strike is going to blow this place up.”</p><p>They run at a full sprint up the stairs to the elevator shaft. Both Anya and Lexa run out of bullets and resort to hand to hand combat. Jake lands a punch or two, but Clarke remains largely unhelpful. When the elevator arrives, they manage to dive in, but not before Anya is hit in the head with the butt of a gun. She collapses, and Clarke helps drag her into the shaft.</p><p>Lexa fights the other agents out of the elevator before they ride it up, then collapses into the sand outside of the door. When they turn around, ten agents are waiting for them. Guns drawn. Anya is unconscious. Lexa is injured, and there’s no way she can take all of them.</p><p>“Clarke, put on the sunglasses.”</p><p>“Dad, that’s not helpful right now.”</p><p>“Clarke, put on the glasses.”</p><p>Clarke obeys, and sees a red laser scan her eye. “Identity Confirmed” flashes across the glasses, then images begin to flash before her eyes. Ten images per second. Photos, documents, names. Flash. Flash. Flash. Martial arts moves. Dance choreography. Engineering schematics. Tutorials for disarming bombs. The images change so rapidly it’s almost like staring at a strobe light. Clarke realizes this is the Intersect 2.0.  </p><p>Download Complete.</p><p>Clarke tears the glasses off her face to look at her father is disbelief. He looks quite pleased with himself. Lexa looks ready to fight her way out of this mess.</p><p>Then Clarke turns to the group of armed Ark agents, and her vision blurs.</p><p>Mixed martial arts diagrams and moves. Elbow strike. Knee strike. Rear-leg push kick. Round kick. Uppercut. Muay Thai. </p><p>When her vision clears, she charges towards the group. She takes each of them out in a series of flawless martial arts flips, kicks, and hits. It’s like she has no control over her body, and a program is being run through her.</p><p>When all ten are on the ground unconscious, she looks back over to Lexa, who is standing there open-mouthed in complete disbelief. Jake looks proud. Anya is still unconscious on the desert floor.</p><p>“Guys, I know Kung Fu,” Clarke says, looking at her own hands in awe.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>we have officially reached the point where even i'm not sure what happens next</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Clarke Vs. Decisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry for the wait</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Team Intersect and Jake Griffin sit around The Cave conference table bickering.</p><p>“I cannot believe you were going to kill my daughter!” Jake yells at Anya.</p><p>“I cannot believe you wasted billions in government money to make one functional Intersect prototype, and then wasted it on your daughter!” Anya snipes back.</p><p>“I can’t believe I know kung fu,” Clarke whispers mostly to herself. She tries to get herself to flash on other weapons in The Cave, but seems to have no luck.</p><p>Beckman’s face flickers onto the screen, and no one takes notice, still too busy yelling at each other over the disaster that was Intersect 2.0.</p><p>Beckman clears her throat angrily, and everyone silences their voices.</p><p>“Now that I have your attention, we have some business to attend to.”</p><p>Adequately shamed for their childish behavior, the team listens as Beckman debriefs them. While Beckman is certainly not pleased that the Intersect was once again given to Clarke, she acknowledges that there is nothing she can do about it at this point.</p><p>She congratulates them on taking out a major Ark base, decimating their recruitment and mission control. While the Ark has not been completely eliminated, the CIA has sent a strong message that their domestic terrorism will not be tolerated.</p><p>Polaris is to be disciplined immediately, and must create a third functional Intersect for the CIA. In exchange, the CIA agrees not to kill Clarke, but to train her as an official field agent. Now that she has martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, and other skills downloaded into her brain, she is more qualified than ever to join as more than just an asset.</p><p>Clarke sits and listens to the conversation, but doesn’t say much. She has a chance to be a real agent, not to have her life high-jacked because of an accidental download, but to be trained as a real agent because her father intentionally gave her the Intersect. It’s a little too much for Clarke to wrap her head around.</p><p>By the end of the meeting, Polaris has an Intersect to design, Anya has a new assignment for the next few days, Lexa is to wait at The Cave for orders, and Clarke is to be shipped to a training facility in Washington DC to begin her field training.<br/>Beckman dismisses them, and everyone begins to clear out. It’s been a long day.</p><p>“Clarke, can I talk to you?” Lexa asks before Clarke leaves.</p><p>“Sure, what’s up?” Clarke tries to play nonchalant. They haven’t had time to talk alone since Anya broke down their motel room door. And now everything is so different, she’s not even sure where to begin.</p><p>Lucky for Clarke, Lexa’s not the type to beat around the bush, “That wasn’t just adrenaline and running from the CIA. I want this.” Lexa holds her breath once she gets the words out.</p><p>Clarke is a little too flabbergasted to respond, so Lexa continues, “I know you didn’t want the spy life. I know you were waiting for things to be normal, so I want to offer that to you. Run away with me. We can leave the spy life behind, and just… be together.”</p><p>Clarke starts to respond, but Lexa shushes her, “I don’t need an answer right now. But meet me at the airport tomorrow night if you decide this is what you want.”</p><p>Lexa hands her a plane ticket to Greece, somewhere Clarke has always wanted to go, kisses her forehead, and walks out of The Cave.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>Lexa waits at gate B12. She bounces her leg in anticipation and scans the crowd for Clarke. Clarke would be one of those people that shows up to the gate with only seconds to spare before boarding. Lexa, on the other hand, has been seated at the gate for three hours.</p><p>Their flight boards at 6:00. She checks her watch. 5:44.</p><p>Just then, she sees a flash of blonde in the crowd. Clarke appears out of nowhere. She doesn’t even have a suitcase with her—she must have checked it. Lexa watches Clarke scan the seats for her before she stands to greet her. Lexa beams, hardly able to contain her happiness as she and Clarke lock eyes.</p><p>Lexa can’t stop herself from kissing Clarke, long and sweet. Because she can. Because she’s here.</p><p>“Where’s your stuff?” Lexa asks.</p><p>Clarke’s eyes well with tears as she looks up at Lexa. Lexa doesn’t understand. “Clarke?”</p><p>“I… didn’t bring any stuff.”</p><p>Lexa’s stomach plummets, but she tries to play it off as a joke. “You know we can’t spend the entire time naked, right?”</p><p>When the joke fails to bring a smile from Clarke, Lexa’s throat tightens, and her stomach falls even lower than before.</p><p>“Lexa… I… I’m not coming.”</p><p>Lexa nods, and tries to swallow the growing lump in her throat.</p><p>“I finally have the opportunity to help people. For real. As a real agent. I have a responsibility to do that, so I can’t do this.”</p><p>Lexa’s tone is stiff when she says, “I understand.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be. You want to help people. I understand. That’s why I—” Lexa stops herself before she says too much.</p><p>Clarke looks up to try and read the unspoken word in Lexa’s eyes.</p><p>Last boarding call for Flight 521. Last call for flight 521.</p><p>“That’s me,” Lexa says with a resigned sigh.</p><p>Clarke goes up on her tiptoes to kiss Lexa on the cheek, then walks away as Lexa boards the plane. Alone.  </p><p>---------------</p><p>Clarke leaves for DC the following day. She makes up a story about Buy More managerial training at headquarters, and lies to Raven and Octavia about where she’ll be for the next two weeks. The lie count has hit quadruple digits at this point.</p><p>While in DC, Clarke sits through a Basic Intelligence course before the physical training starts. She aces it. It’s been a long time since she was in school, and she forgot how much she liked it. It feels good to learn something new. To do something worthwhile. It’s the first time since she was kicked out of Stanford that she feels like her life is on the right track.</p><p>But then the physical training starts, and Clarke is knocked back on her ass. Literally.</p><p>She wakes up at 5:00AM to a blaring alarm, runs a mile to warm up with the new recruits, lifts weights, runs obstacle courses. It’s more like boot camp. And for someone who previously only ran when being chased, it’s a shock to her system.</p><p>When Anya comes to check on her, she complains, “I have the Intersect. I don’t understand why I need to do boot camp?”</p><p>“You need a basic level of fitness. The Intersect won’t magically make you run faster.”</p><p>“But my body hurts,” Clarke whines. She’s laying on her back on the floor of her room. Too sore to get up and shower. Or even to crawl into bed.</p><p>“Get used to it. The Intersect might have given you the programming for hits and kicks, but being stronger will make them hurt more. This training could save your life.”</p><p>Clarke groans and decides to change the subject. Anya clearly isn’t going to go easy on her. “When’s Lexa coming to train me?” Clarke tries and fails to hide the curiosity in her voice. She hasn’t heard from Lexa since she left her at the airport.</p><p>“She’s not,” Anya responds curtly.</p><p>“Why not? I thought both of you were supposed to train me.”</p><p>“She’s on probation.”</p><p>“What? Why!” Clarke asks,</p><p>“She went MIA for a few days last week. Just up and boarded a plane to Greece without authorization.”</p><p>Clarke gulps. Anya must know. “What did she say about it?”</p><p>“Just that she needed to clear her head. Beckman’s furious.”</p><p>Clarke’s guilt sinks like a rock in her stomach. She never considered how much trouble Lexa would be in for abandoning her CIA post. Twice. “Oh.”</p><p>“Yeah. Oh,” Anya seems mad again. She stands and leaves Clarke to lie in her guilt in her dorm room.</p><p>--------------</p><p>The following morning, Clarke starts to train in hand-to-hand combat. Anya throws a pair of boxing gloves Clarke’s way. Clarke slides them on.</p><p>“Are you going to teach me how to do this?”</p><p>“No. It’s in the Intersect, right?”</p><p>“Yeah… according to my Dad’s notes.”</p><p>Anya takes a swing at Clarke’s head and she flinches so she only gets hit in the shoulder. “Hey!”</p><p>“What’s the matter? Can’t flash?”</p><p>“I wasn’t ready.”</p><p>Anya bounces on the balls of her feet, starting to circle. Clarke tries to mimic, but is clumsy stepping over her own feet. Anya throws another punch, this time to Clarke’s gut. She lands it, and Clarke doubles over.</p><p>Clarke gets back to fighting stance and charges Anya, who easily dodges Clarke’s attack, then flips her onto her back.</p><p>“Come on, Griffin. Flash.”</p><p>“I’m trying!” Clarke grunts, standing again to hit Anya. Clarke swings a left hook. Anya blocks it, then lands a kick to Clarke’s side.</p><p>“Flash, Griffin.”</p><p>“I can’t do it on command!” Clarke pleads, but stands once again.</p><p>Anya begins an assault, landing 5 consecutive punches to Clarke’s torso and face, before Clarke finally collapses.  </p><p>“Show me there’s a reason you left her at that airport. Show me you didn’t break her for no reason. Show me you’re not a waste of time.”</p><p>At the mention of Lexa, Clarke sees red, then glances at her gloves, and flashes.</p><p>Jab. Wolfe vs. Ward. Serrano vs. Voraberger. Uppercut. Hook. Cross. Ali vs. Frazier.</p><p>When her vision clears, she knocks Anya to the ground in a series of three hits. Then, she throws her gloves to the ground, and returns to her room to soak in an ice bath.</p><p>In the next week, Clarke is put through shooting training, bomb tech classes, and mission simulations, but they all yield similar results. Without the Intersect, she’s not very good. On the rare occasion she does flash, she’s able to hit the bullseye every time, diffuse bombs with time to spare, and zipline from a rooftop without crippling anxiety. But that’s only ten percent of the time.</p><p>Clarke tries. She runs through simulations multiple times, stays there for additional hours to practice, wills herself to flash, but it just won’t happen under pressure.  </p><p>They run tests to make sure that the Intersect programming is functional, and determine that Clarke is the issue. There’s a mental block that isn’t allowing her to use it to its full potential.</p><p>At the end of her two-week intensive training, she’s more sore than she’s ever been, and more emotionally broken than she ever wanted to be. This was her chance to help people, and she blew it. Her final performance review marks her as unfit for field duty. She can still be an agent, but not outside of the van. This was not the trade she had in mind when she gave up Lexa to save the world.  </p><p>When she and Anya board the place back to LA, she’s grateful that their seats are not next to each other. She’s disappointed enough without Anya’s seething rage there to make her feel more guilty. Clarke rests her forehead against the window, and silently cries as they take off.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Clarke goes to her Buy More shift on Monday morning, where Raven eagerly awaits her return. Raven practically tackles her when she takes her seat behind the Nerd Herd desk.</p><p>Raven’s squeezing the life out of Clarke when she realizes, “Have you been working out? You feel… stronger?”</p><p>“Ray, it’s me. Of course I didn’t work out.”</p><p>“Okay good. I was about to accuse you of being kidnapped by the government and replaced with some fit robot. You know, like Lexa.”</p><p>Raven’s comment hits too close to home, and Clarke gets quiet. Raven continues to update her on everything she missed in the last two weeks.</p><p>Her shift drags on, and during her lunch break she and Anya sneak down to The Cave for an update from Beckman.</p><p>Clarke nervously bounces her leg waiting for the briefing to start. When Lexa walks into the conference room, she bolts up from her seat to greet her with a hug, but Lexa merely stands there stiffly, then holds Clarke at an arm’s length.</p><p>“Hello, Clarke,” she says, all softness that usually accompanies that name gone.</p><p>“Hi. I’m sorry I—”</p><p>Lexa cuts her off, “It’s fine. We can be professional.”</p><p>“But I don’t—”</p><p>Lexa has walked away before Clarke finishes her sentence.  The air is tense. Lexa is clearly uncomfortable. Anya, as usual, is visibly grumpy. Clarke is still heartbroken from her failed attempt at becoming a field agent.</p><p>When Beckman’s face appears on the screen, she tells them that this will be their last mission as a team.</p><p>“Why?!” Clarke panics.</p><p>“The Intersect 2.0 team is not progressing as we had hoped. Therefore, we have decided that a better use of Colonel Forrest and Commander Woods’ talents will be as part of different tactical teams. Woods, you’ll be heading to Europe after this mission. Forrest, you’ll be on your way to the Middle East. Agent Griffin, a new set of handlers and analysts will join you here in Burbank next week.”</p><p>For the rest of the briefing, Clarke feels lightheaded. The entire time she feels like she’s hovering above her own body, watching her life deteriorate.</p><p>The mission is simple. A high-power LA executive is selling a virus that would target the computers of government agencies. It’s stored on a flashdrive in a safe in his home. Lucky for them, he has a propensity to throw lavish parties to show off his mansion. Lexa and Anya will infiltrate the party, break into his safe, and then deliver the drive to the CIA.</p><p>--------------</p><p>Team Intersect gets ready in the van. Anya and Lexa are both wearing tailored suits and look drop dead gorgeous. Clarke is in her usual Buy More uniform—a white short-sleeved button down and black slacks.</p><p>They pour over the blueprints of the house one last time, noting where security cameras are—they’ll hack the system and delete all evidence they were there once the mission is over—, the location of the safe, and various exit points. When Lexa and Anya feel ready, Clarke hands them their earpieces and lapel cameras, and wishes them luck. “Do your thing. I’ll be in here… as always.”<br/>Through the lapel cameras, Clarke watches them enter the party and mingle with a few wealthy guests. They’ve taken aliases as software developers, and lie their way through conversations with other tech moguls.</p><p>After an appropriate amount of time schmoozing other guests and avoiding the host, Anya excuses them to go to the bathroom. They’re halfway down the hallway when a gruff voice yells, “Hey! What are you doing back here?”</p><p>Anya and Lexa throw their hands up to feign innocence. Unbeknownst to Anya, the hilt of her gun is visible with the unbuttoned jacket.</p><p>“Nothing, just looking for a bathroom,” Lexa lies.</p><p>“With a gun?” He asks, drawing his own.</p><p>He shoots twice, and Lexa and Anya fall to the ground with small darts sticking out of their shoulders. Apparently it was a tranq gun. Clarke watches them get dragged down the hallway and tied up in a laundry room.</p><p>She triple checks the blueprint of the house to locate the laundry room, then leaps out of the van on her way to help. She can’t go in the main entrance without an invite so she scans the sidewalk and hedges looking for a way in.</p><p>Her vision blurs and she sees a series of parkour moves, physics equations, and landing protocols.</p><p>When her vision clears again, she takes a running start, climbs the ledge of the landscaping, and launches herself over the six-foot hedge into the backyard. She then stealthily makes her way to the back entrance of the home, and lets herself in.</p><p>She finds the door to the laundry room and slinks in before the guard turns the corner. Lexa and Anya are conscious and bickering about how they let this happen.</p><p>“Are you guys okay?” Clarke asks in a harsh whisper.</p><p>“What are you doing out of the van?!” Lexa scolds.</p><p>“I wasn’t just going to leave you here to die. Besides, I flashed on some parkour and got in without anyone noticing.”</p><p>“There’s a knife in my boot,” Anya directs.</p><p>Clarke grabs the knife and cuts the zip ties off of both of their hands.</p><p>“You’re welcome,” she remarks snidely.</p><p>Anya rolls her eyes, but concedes a “Good work, Griffin.”</p><p>Anya and Lexa try to get Clarke to go back to the van, but she refuses. “I’m the only reason this mission is still happening. You don’t get to kick me out now.”</p><p>“Fine,” Lexa agrees, as she leads them back to the safe down the hallway. They get to the entrance, and swing the door open to be greeted with a solid steel door that they need to slide to open.</p><p>Once open, Lexa starts to walk in to the room to get to the safe, but Clarke stops her just before a spinning blade drops from the ceiling right where Lexa’s head would have been. Lexa looks at her in confusion.</p><p>Clarke flashes. A series of moves to get through safe room.</p><p>“The whole room is a safe. It’s booby trapped, but I got this.”</p><p>Clarke throws herself into the safe room on her stomach as more blades pop out from the ceiling at decreasing heights. Then, she bounds up to her feet and hops three times over laser beams on the floor. She sidesteps twice as flames erupt from the ceiling. She then jumps up to grab monkey bars seconds before the floor beneath her gives way to spikes. After front flipping to the floor, she taps in the code, and grabs the briefcase, then follows the same steps but in reverse to make her way back to Lexa.</p><p>Lexa and Anya stare at her in disbelief when she lands in front of them. Clarke turns to look behind her, then beams at her handlers.</p><p>“I did it!” She shouts, lifting the briefcase above her head like a trophy. The edge of the briefcase brushes a laser beam above her head, and an alarm starts to blare. The solid steel door separating her from Lexa and Anya seals shut, and a fan begins to suck all of the air out of the room. Clarke looks at them with panic in her eyes, and frantically looks around for a release switch.</p><p>Within thirty seconds, Clarke can feel the air thinning in the enclosed space, and realizes she very well might suffocate in here.</p><p>Meanwhile outside, Anya boosts Lexa up into the vent so she can try to extract Clarke from above.</p><p>“Lexa!” Clarke cries from inside the safe to an empty hallway. “Lexa, I’m sorry. And I know you’re probably very hurt that I didn’t run away with you when you asked. You have to know you were everything I ever wanted. But how could I do that? How could I run away with you knowing everything I turned my back on? Knowing that what I had in my head could help a lot of people. You’re the one that taught me to choose duty over my own feelings. So that’s what I chose. I chose to be a spy for my friends and my family and, and you. I chose to be a spy because being with you has made me a better person, has made me realize that I—” Clarke’s vision blurs, but this time it’s not because of a flash. It’s been nearly three minutes, and her brain isn’t getting enough oxygen and she passes out on the floor of the safe, clutching the briefcase, and hoping Lexa heard her last words.</p><p>Lexa repels from the ceiling vent seconds later, having heard none of that. She kneels over Clarke’s unconscious body, and tries to wake her up. When Clarke barely stirs, she hoists her into her arms, and climbs back into the vent system.</p><p>Anya meets her at the exit, and Clarke has, for the most part, regained consciousness, although she is moving more slowly than needed.</p><p>They’re moments from freedom when a guard stops them, and holds them at gunpoint.</p><p>Clarke flashes on some kung fu moves, then spins her way out of Lexa’s supportive arm, and kicks the gun out of his hand, then a swift hit to the back of the skull knocks him unconscious.</p><p>“Holy shit, Griffin. I didn’t even think you were awake!” Anya exclaims.</p><p>Clarke slumps again, the minutes without oxygen coming back to her, and they carry her dead weight back to the van.</p><p>---------------</p><p>Anya calls Beckman after finishing up her mission paperwork. Lexa and Clarke are at their own desks finishing their own reports, and listen in to the conversation, although don’t participate.</p><p>“Beckman, if I may address you freely.”</p><p>“You may, Colonel.”</p><p>“The Intersect isn’t broken. I think we went about it wrong in DC. Clarke is not a tactically trained agent. She never will be.”</p><p>“Yes, I do believe that was the problem.”</p><p>“But when she’s emotionally driven? It works flawlessly,” Anya continues. Clarke’s interest is piqued, and she turns her attention to the call instead of her paperwork.</p><p>Beckman counters, “Emotionally driven agents often get themselves into trouble. Too emotional, and you’re unstable.”</p><p>“I agree, but that’s not how Clarke works. She’s fiercely protective, and when she needs to flash to protect someone she cares about, she does. She can’t just do it for herself. Just because it’s convenient to try and train.”</p><p>“What are you saying, Colonel?”</p><p>“I’m saying you can’t break this team up. If you want the Intersect 2.0 to work at all, Clarke needs us,” then clarifies, “needs Lexa.”  Clarke immediately tries to make eye contact with Lexa. She sees Lexa’s ears redden, but she only tries to focus harder on her paperwork. “If you give her a new team and keep her in the van, she’ll never flash again. She flashed every time she needed to today, sir.”</p><p>“Three months,” Beckman agrees. “You have three more months of Team Intersect to prove me wrong.”</p><p>“Thank you, sir. And we’ll continue her physical training outside of the Intersect. I promise.”</p><p>“I will be adding one more person to your team, however. Just so you have an extra field agent.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Clarke Vs. Raven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clarke fiddles with the stapler at the Nerd Herd Help Desk, and briefly considers if it would be worth it to staple her finger just for an excuse to leave her post. Then she remembers how sore she is and decides that not moving is probably the better option.</p>
<p>She has been waking up early before her shifts to train with Anya every day this week, and her muscles are in screaming pain. Her sleep schedule is ruined, her body hurts, her heart aches, and everything is garbage.</p>
<p>Raven, however, is in a much better mood. “How are things going with Lexa?” she asks.</p>
<p>“Fine,” Clarke lies. They haven’t spoken about anything not directly mission related since the airport. Where Clarke didn’t choose her, and has regretted it ever since. Things have been awkward and stilted, and it’s shredding Clarke’s heart to pieces.</p>
<p>“That didn’t sound convincing,” Raven presses.</p>
<p>“We’ve just been having some trouble finding our groove since my manager training trip,” Clarke lies again.</p>
<p>Raven waggles her eyebrows. “You know what usually helps get two people back on track?”</p>
<p>Clarke’s mind briefly flashes to the motel room. Being naked and sweaty and spent in Lexa’s arms. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. “Mhm,” she responds. But her shoulders sink even further and she avoids Raven’s cheeky grin.</p>
<p>Raven’s smile drops, and she reaches to wrap Clarke in the hug she so clearly needs.</p>
<p>“Jesus, Clarke, are you sure you haven’t been working out? Your back feels like a bag of ropes!”</p>
<p>Clarke rolls her eyes, “Yeah Ray, I’ve been waking up extra early to train with Anya.”</p>
<p>Raven bursts into laughter, “Ha! Yeah right! Oof good one Clarke.” There’s a brief pause. “Do you think if I asked her if I could join her workouts she’d let me?”</p>
<p>“Ray, your leg.”</p>
<p>“I don’t actually want to <em>do</em> them. I just want to look at her shirtless. Maybe lick the sweat off her abs.”</p>
<p>“Gross.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, like you haven’t had that thought about Lexa’s muscles.”</p>
<p>The comment makes Clarke’s stomach drop again. She’s thought about that a lot.</p>
<p>Anya strolls over not long after, “Let’s go, Griffin. We’ve got a briefing.” Anya heads towards The Cave and Clarke follows in tow, and both disappear through the break room.</p>
<p>Raven’s conversation with Clarke left her suspicious. Something is happening with Lexa, and Raven needs to take another look. The fake passports and guns were concerning, but there has to be more information. She makes a mental note to check out her apartment again this evening.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lexa and another woman are already waiting at the conference table. Clarke had completely forgotten about Beckman’s last words in the last briefing. This must be the new person she was talking about.</p>
<p>“Cadet Hilker?” Anya asks.</p>
<p>“Sargent,” she replies and extends her right hand for a shake.</p>
<p>Anya smiles, “Atta girl.” Her chest puffs again, always proud to see those who were under her command in the Army rise in the ranks.</p>
<p>Hilker turns to Clarke and extends the same hand, “I’m Luna Hilker. I’ll be joining Team Intersect for the foreseeable future.”</p>
<p>The three sit back down at the conference table. Luna took Clarke’s usual spot next to Lexa, so she sits across from her, and tries to say hello, but is met with a short nod.</p>
<p>General Beckman appears on screen moments later. “I see you have already been acquainted with your newest team member. The addition of another field agent means you’ll be able to take on more missions than before.”</p>
<p>Clarke grumbles in her seat. She was supposed to be the third field agent.</p>
<p>“Hilker and Woods, we have a mission for just the two of you tonight. Details have been sent over already,” then Beckman abruptly signs off.</p>
<p>Anya, Lexa, and Clarke all head back to their cover jobs, and agree to reconvene at The Cave at 5:00PM.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-----------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>While Lexa and Luna prep for their mission, Raven picks the lock to Lexa’s place again.</p>
<p>Lexa and Luna have been tasked with breaking into a vault at a stock broker’s firm to retrieve a USB with an algorithm on it that would allow stock traders to make millions by causing a market crash, ruining the country’s economy.</p>
<p>They’re both wearing all black, combat boots, and have enough weapons and tools strapped to themselves that they could legitimately be cosplaying Batman if they just added a mask and a cape. Lexa tucks the infinity necklace under her collar to make sure there’s absolutely nothing reflective that would make her visible in the dark.</p>
<p>Anya and Clarke help them plan the mission by marking security systems and setting up comms. In their prep, Lexa and Luna talk and joke like old friends, and the pang of jealousy Clarke feels is for that feeling of relaxed comfort she used to have with Lexa instead of this crippling awkwardness.</p>
<p>Clarke watches her leave, pining over what once was.</p>
<p>Meanwhile in Lexa’s apartment, Raven rummages through every drawer, checks behind paintings for safes, and nearly rips apart pillows trying to find more information about who Lexa really is. Why did she have fake IDs? Why did she have so many guns?</p>
<p>All Raven finds is a stack of $1000, which although weird, doesn’t give her any information. Frustrated and angry that she can’t get to the bottom of this mystery, she decides to leave. She ensures everything is back in its place, then locks the door behind her. She pulls out her phone to text Octavia as she walks back to her car.</p>
<p>But before she can even open her texts, a bag is thrown over her head and she’s picked up off the ground. Raven screams “Get off me! What the fuck!” but her attackers do not change their course. She’s thrown into the back of a van where her mouth is duct taped, her wrists and ankles bound, and she is driven to some unknown location.</p>
<p>One attacker pulls out a phone and takes a picture of her bound and gagged.</p>
<p>Raven is terrified. She continues to try and scream, which her attackers must find annoying because they knock her unconscious with the butt of a gun seconds later, and she slumps to the floor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A mere five minutes after Lexa and Luna leave The Cave, Clarke’s phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number. <em>We have Agent Woods.</em></p>
<p>“Anya!” Clarke calls, already panicking about what could have gone so wrong in the last five minutes. But then the attached photo loads, and Clarke sees her best friend bound and gagged, and looking utterly terrified in the back of a nondescript van.</p>
<p>Anya comes running into the room, “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Clarke shoves her phone into Anya’s hands, “This.”</p>
<p>“Oh, shit.”</p>
<p>“Why do they think Raven is Lexa?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“We have to get her back! Anya, she’s my best friend. We can’t let anything happen to her. This is all my fault.”</p>
<p>“Clarke! We’ll get her back. Besides, she’s tougher than she looks. She’ll be okay until we get there. Honestly, I’d be surprised if she even needed us.”</p>
<p>Clarke looks at her flabbergasted, “Did you just compliment Raven?”</p>
<p>Anya changes the subject, “Call the number. Ask what they want for her. Do not tell them it isn’t Lexa.”</p>
<p>Clarke calls the number. It picks up on the second ring.</p>
<p>“Bring us the Intersect in the next hour or we’ll kill her. 531 Lamont Drive. One hour.”</p>
<p>Then the call is disconnected.</p>
<p>“They want me.”</p>
<p>“Let’s go make a trade and get our girl.”</p>
<p><em>Our</em> girl rings in Clarke’s head.</p>
<p>Anya goes to change and gather weapons. She tosses Clarke a similar outfit to what Lexa left in, then hands her a gun. “You’re ready for this.”</p>
<p>“Are there real bullets in there?” Clarke asks.</p>
<p>“No, it’s tranquilizers. Just in case you’re not as ready as I think you are.”</p>
<p>“Aaand there goes the confidence,” Clarke replies. But she doesn’t have time to worry about it. She tucks the gun into her waistband and she and Anya head towards her car.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raven regains consciousness and looks around her surroundings. She’s strapped to a chair in a damp basement with exposed wires and pipes. She gulps. Her mouth is still duct taped. Her wrists are taped behind her, and her legs are taped to the legs of the chair. Her injured leg aches.</p>
<p>“She’s awake,” a gruff voice says from the dark corner.</p>
<p>Raven immediately regrets opening her eyes.</p>
<p>“So, Agent Woods. You’re going to tell us what we want to know. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Up to you.” He then rips the duct tape off of Raven’s face.</p>
<p>Raven yelps.</p>
<p>“Who is the Intersect?”</p>
<p>“The what?”</p>
<p>Raven’s answer earns her a slap to the face.</p>
<p>“Do not play dumb with me, Agent. Who is the Intersect?”</p>
<p>“Sir, dude, with all due respect, you don’t even have the right person. I’m not Agent Woods. I’m not even an agent. I work at the Buy More!” Raven pleads.</p>
<p>Raven gets hit again. She grunts in pain and yells, “Jesus, Fuck!”</p>
<p>This continues for nearly an hour. They ask a question, Raven answers honestly, she gets hit. The hitting has gotten aggressive enough that the chair is now on its side with Raven still strapped to it.</p>
<p>“What’d you expect boss. She’s CIA trained. They’re trained not to break under torture.”</p>
<p>“Maybe we’re not using the right kind.”</p>
<p>From the floor, Raven mumbles through swollen lips, “I knew it. I knew she was CIA.” Then her eyes swell shut.</p>
<p>Raven wakes up the sound of a familiar voice, “Let her go. We have what you want.”</p>
<p>It’s Anya. With a gun. Now Raven knows she’s hallucinating. There’s no way Anya would come rescue her. How hard did they hit her head? How bad is this concussion?</p>
<p>“Show us the Intersect,” they demand.</p>
<p>“I’m right here,” Clarke steps out from behind Anya. “Now let her go.”</p>
<p>One of the men pulls out a knife and cuts the duct tape from Raven’s wrists and ankles. Raven is in too much pain to move on her own.</p>
<p>Anya shoots all three assailants and they fall limply to the ground. Then she and Clarke rush to Raven’s side. Raven groans.</p>
<p>“Ray, are you okay?”</p>
<p>More groaning.</p>
<p>“Raven!” Anya calls. She checks her pulse, leans over her mouth to feel if she’s breathing. Normally she’d slap the mostly unconscious person across the face until they were a bit more with it, but Raven’s face looks puffy and swollen already, and Anya doesn’t want to do anything else to hurt her.</p>
<p>Clarke notices Anya is being particularly gentle with her as she scoops her up into her arms.</p>
<p>“Here, let me help you,” Clarke offers her other shoulder so they can balance Raven’s weight between them.</p>
<p>“No, I got her,” and Anya shifts to carry Raven bridal style in her arms.</p>
<p>Anya loads Raven into the back seat of the car, and throws Clarke the keys to drive. Then she sits herself in the back with Raven to monitor her for the drive. Clarke continues to check the rearview mirror as Anya frets over Raven for the forty-five minute drives home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raven wakes up in a hospital bed with Clarke at her side, and Anya waiting patiently in the doorway.</p>
<p>“What happened?” she asks. Her voice is hoarse.</p>
<p>“You were kidnapped.”</p>
<p>“What’s the Intersect?” Raven asks.</p>
<p>“I’m going to tell you everything. But I need you to sign this first. It’s an NDA. What I’m about to tell you is classified, and honestly, I had to pull a lot a strings to make sure I could tell you.”</p>
<p>Raven glances at the NDA in her hands, <em>Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement between Raven Reyes and the United States Central Intelligence Agency</em>.</p>
<p>Anya dismisses herself, “I’ll let you two talk.”</p>
<p>Once Raven has signed the document, Clarke begins her story. Raven listens with rapt attention.</p>
<p>Clarke tells her about the e-mail from Costia. What the Intersect project is. How Lexa and Anya are there as her handlers. About the missions they went on. About how she and Lexa had to fake date as a cover. About how they found Polaris. That they found her father who gave her the second Intersect. That she has been working out and training to be a field agent. That she failed her field test.</p>
<p>It all comes pouring out of Clarke in a steady stream of a dam breaking. The relief Clarke feels with every story, every fact, every lie undone is immense. She feels like she got her best friend back.</p>
<p>“I knew you weren’t just some loser who worked at the Buy More!”</p>
<p>“Hey! I was until about a year ago…”</p>
<p>“And I was right!” Raven exclaims with glee. “Lexa is a spy! Octavia owes me so much money!”</p>
<p>“You can’t tell her,” Clarke says and gestures to the NDA.</p>
<p>“Oh. Right. I guess you figured out what I was doing in her apartment then.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, we did. Honestly, Anya’s pretty impressed you figured it out. God it feels so good to tell you this. I’ve been miserable keeping secrets from you. Not being able to tell anyone what was going on with me and…” Clarke trails off, but Raven fills in the blank herself.</p>
<p>“So you and Lexa?”</p>
<p>“It was fake. Or at least it started that way.”</p>
<p>“You love her,” Raven states it as if she just told Clarke the sky was blue.</p>
<p>Clarke’s shoulder’s slump.</p>
<p>“So you never?”</p>
<p>“Well no… at least not until we ran away. But then I got the Intersect 2.0 and I had a chance to help people. To really help people, and I couldn’t be selfish and choose my own happiness over that.”</p>
<p>“I get that.”</p>
<p>“But now I’m barely even doing that and I—”</p>
<p>“Hey! You saved me tonight.”</p>
<p>“Yeah but you were only in harms way because of me! I ruined my shot. And now she’s off on some mission with someone else and she can’t even look at me and it feels like someone reached into my ribcage to grab my heart and just squeezed.”</p>
<p>Clarke and Raven hear noises from elsewhere in the base, and it becomes clear that Luna and Lexa have returned.</p>
<p>Lexa walks down the hall past the room Clarke and Raven are in and does a double take, then reverses to go talk to Anya.</p>
<p>“What is Raven doing in our base?”</p>
<p>“She was kidnapped today coming out of your apartment.”</p>
<p>“Out of <em>my</em> apartment?”</p>
<p>“They mistook her for you, and wanted to trade you for the Intersect, so we went to save her. I took the three guys out, but we have to figure out who knows we work with the Intersect.”</p>
<p>“Do you think Luna is the leak?”</p>
<p>“I’m just saying, we didn’t have any problems keeping this team secret until she showed up.”</p>
<p>Lexa and Anya add that to their growing list of concerns to bring up with General Beckman. With nothing left to do about it today, they go their separate ways to begin their paperwork for their respective missions, planned and unplanned.</p>
<p>Lexa walks back down the hallway to put the USB in a safe, and sees Clarke sitting next to an asleep Raven. She takes the chair on the other side of the bed.</p>
<p>“So… she broke into my apartment?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, seems so. She had you pegged for a spy the whole time.”</p>
<p>Lexa nods, “Does she know everything now?”</p>
<p>“She does.”</p>
<p>“That’s one less person we’ll have to fake it around I guess, right?” Lexa adds.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess so,” Clarke swallows the lump in her throat.</p>
<p>Lexa changes the subject, “Is she okay?”</p>
<p>“She will be.”</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Lexa extends a hand to squeeze Clarke’s.</p>
<p>Clarke looks up to lock eyes with Lexa, “I will be.” And Lexa smiles at her for the first time in what feels like forever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-----------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Lexa returns to the conference table with her laptop, Anya looks her up and down.</p>
<p>“Did you talk to Clarke?”</p>
<p>“I did.”</p>
<p>“And?”</p>
<p>“And what, Colonel? She wants to help people. I can’t fault her for that. These are her people.”</p>
<p>“But do you know how she actually feels?”</p>
<p>“I think getting left at the airport was a pretty clear indication of her priorities.”</p>
<p>“I have to show you something from last week’s mission. When she thought she was about to suffocate in that safe, she said something to you. I pulled this from the surveillance tape.” Anya clicks something then turns her computer screen to Lexa who watches.</p>
<p>
  <em>Lexa, I’m sorry. And I know you’re probably very hurt that I didn’t run away with you when you asked. You have to know you were everything I ever wanted. But how could I do that? How could I run away with you knowing everything I turned my back on? Knowing that what I had in my head could help a lot of people. You’re the one that taught me to choose duty over my own feelings. So that’s what I chose. I chose to be a spy for my friends, and my family and, and you. I chose to be a spy because being with you has made me a better person, has made me realize that I—</em>
  
</p>
<p>Lexa watches it a second time while fiddling with her necklace, but then silently pushes the laptop back to Anya.</p>
<p>“Just thought you should know. Does she know you still wear that necklace?”</p>
<p>Lexa reddens, but says nothing.</p>
<p>They’re both pulled out of their work-focus by a knock on the wall. It’s Raven. She looks a little worse for wear, but overall in much better shape than when she entered only a few hours ago.</p>
<p>“You saved me,” Raven states.</p>
<p>“I did,” Anya answers.</p>
<p>“You carried me bridal style out of that basement.”</p>
<p>“I did.”</p>
<p>“You might like me more than you claim to,” Raven says with a lopsided grin.</p>
<p>Anya grunts, but Raven still struts towards her, grabs her face between her palms and kisses her. Anya kisses back.</p>
<p>Raven lets Anya go, touches her own swollen lip and says “Ow. Worth it.”, then turns to Lexa and says, “It’s that easy,” then strides out of the room to a waiting Clarke, and the two head home for the evening, friendship mended, although both still impossibly sore, but for very different reasons.</p>
<p>Lexa chooses to ignore Raven’s comment to her, and instead focuses on laughing at Anya’s pink cheeks before Anya punches her in the arm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Clarke Vs. The Dance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>whoops sorry this took so long. also not my best work. enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lexa waits on the mat in the exercise room of The Cave for Clarke to show up. General Beckman has tasked her with training Clarke this week. It’s the first time she and Clarke will be alone together for any period of time.<br/> <br/>It’s the first time Lexa will see Clarke since watching the tape.<br/> <br/>She’s not sure what to do about it. Should she bring it up? Pretend she still doesn’t know? Confess her feelings? Shove them back down?<br/> <br/>Definitely shove them back down. Spies don’t have feelings. It’s easier that way. Clarke can’t hurt her again if she doesn’t let her.<br/> <br/>She fiddles with her necklace and checks her watch. Clarke’s a few minutes late.<br/> <br/>Clarke saunters into the room, and Lexa tucks the necklace into her sports bra so it doesn’t bounce around while they spar. Clarke is wearing leggings, and a double sports bra. Lexa tries not to think about them in a motel room and fails; her glance falls to Clarke’s chest.<br/> <br/>Clarke smirks,  “They’re an unfair disadvantage for physical training. Gotta double up to prevent getting a black eye from my own boobs.”<br/> <br/>“Hm?” Lexa feigns confusion, eyes snapping back up to Clarke’s.<br/> <br/>Clarke quirks an eyebrow. “Okay, we can pretend I didn’t see that.”<br/> <br/>Lexa tosses Clarke a pair of boxing gloves, and changes the subject. “So Raven knows.”<br/> <br/>“She does.”<br/> <br/>“Must be nice.”<br/> <br/>“It is. I feel less like I’m going to implode with the weight of the world on my shoulders.“<br/> <br/>“Cut the chit chat—train her!” Anya yells from the other room. Lexa reddens and gets to her feet, encouraging Clarke to get up with her.<br/> <br/>They start with some basic footwork, then move on to practice punches. Right hook. Left hook, Dodges. They warm up for twenty minutes, slowly going through moves to build some muscle memory for Clarke.<br/> <br/>“Good, Clarke. Just like that,” Lexa encourages. Every time it makes Clarke blush and she hopes the redness comes across as exertion.<br/> <br/>When Clarke repeatedly messes up a move, Lexa moves behind her to reset her feet and adjust her posture with a hand on her back. Goosebumps erupt on Clarke’s skin.<br/> <br/>Clarke tries the move again, and earns a smile from Lexa. Her stomach does a somersault.<br/> <br/>Lexa swaps her pads for another set of gloves, and says, “Alright, that’s enough warm up. You seem ready to spar.”<br/> <br/>The two settle into their stances, then trade hits, each dodging the other’s punch.<br/> <br/>“Clarke, you’re holding back.”<br/> <br/>“Am not.”<br/> <br/>“Clarke.”<br/> <br/>“Fine. I am. I just don’t want to hurt you.”<br/> <br/>“I’ll be fine Clarke.” God, does she have to say her name like that every time?<br/> <br/>The next time Lexa swings for Clarke’s face, she flashes.<br/> <br/>Jab. Cross, Dodge, Uppercut. George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali. Left. Right. Sidestep.<br/> <br/>Clarke’s vision clears and in a series of moves, she lands three punches to Lexa’s gut, and leaves her gasping for breath on the floor. Lexa’s eyes light up, and she smiles up at Clarke. Watching Clarke kick ass is undeniably sexy, but now is not the time to dive into that.<br/> <br/>Lexa practically backflips off the floor, taking Clarke completely by surprise. She lands a few punches, dodges all of Clarke’s hits, and wears Clarke out. The timer in the corner of the room goes off.<br/> <br/>“Jesus, are you sure you don’t have the Intersect too?” Clarke asks, still short of breath.<br/> <br/>Lexa laughs, and they hold eye contact for a second too long. Then their eyes begin to roam over sweaty bodies, hover on lips, until finally Clarke snaps herself out of it.</p><p>“I, uh, I um, I should go shower before my Buy More shift,” she says, and stumbles out of the room.<br/> <br/>---------------<br/> <br/>Clarke settles into the Nerd Herd desk with wet hair and aching muscles. Raven joins her a few moments later to ask about her morning. “What was on the docket this morning, super spy?”<br/> <br/>Clarke hushes her, “Raven, keep your voice down. It’s a cover for a reason. Please don’t blow it.”<br/> <br/>“C’mon Clarke, it’s not like anyone would believe me anyway.”<br/> <br/>“True.”<br/> <br/>“So? What was it?”<br/> <br/>“Sparring. With Lexa. I swear to god she’s superhuman. I have a computer in my head and she still wins.”<br/> <br/>“Hot.”<br/> <br/>Clarke rolls her eyes.<br/> <br/>Lexa exits The Cave through the Buy More, and walks past the Nerd Herd desk. Raven notices that she also has wet hair, and smirks. “Did you two shower together?”<br/> <br/>Clarke shoves her, “No, Ray. We did not.”<br/> <br/>“You should have. Save some water. We’re in a drought you know.” Then Raven drastically changes the subject, “Lexa, you’re coming to O’s bachelorette party tonight, right?”<br/> <br/>Clarke shoots her dagger eyes.<br/> <br/>“What!” Raven defends, “She’s the girlfriend.”<br/> <br/>“Fake girlfriend,” Lexa corrects. Clarke pretends that doesn’t bother her.<br/> <br/> “O likes her. She’s your plus one for the wedding, it’s weird if she doesn’t go. O will suspect something.”<br/> <br/>“Shit, she’s right,” Clarke concedes.<br/> <br/>“I’ll be there. Just text me the details,” Lexa adds, starting to walk away.<br/> <br/>“Excuse you!” Raven calls behind her, “You forgot to kiss your girlfriend!”<br/> <br/>The Buy More has started to fill in with more employees and customers. It’s purely for the cover. To make sure Monty and Jasper don’t try to hit on Clarke all day by assuming she has ~girl troubles~. So Lexa leans in and gives Clarke a sweet kiss on the lips that’s not nearly enough for either of them, although they’re both too afraid to admit it.<br/> <br/>---------------------<br/> <br/>Lexa stands on the sidewalk outside her apartment—she was instructed to wait there and she’d be picked up on the way to the club. She’s wearing jeans and a tank top, not really sure what proper attire is for a bachelorette party is. Spies don’t usually get married, so she hasn’t had the opportunity to attend one before.<br/> <br/>From down the block, Lexa can hear high pitched screaming and squeals, then she watches a limo come to a slow stop in front of her. Octavia swings the door open, clad in a “Bride to Be” sash and a crown, and presents Lexa with an, “I’m with the Bride” sash of her own. Clarke offers an apologetic smile, and the group of 8 or so ladies crams further into the car.<br/> <br/>Lexa and Octavia try to squeeze themselves back into the back seat, but it’s tight.<br/> <br/>“Clarke, sit in your girl’s lap! Give us all a little wiggle room!” Raven loudly suggests.<br/> <br/>Clarke shoots her dagger eyes for the second time today, and realizes it will not be the last. She shuffles to seat herself on Lexa and whispers a quiet “I’m sorry.”<br/> <br/>A round of champagne flutes is passed to the party, and they all down them quickly.<br/> <br/>The drive to the club is only 25 minutes, but between the heat of Raven’s stare boring a hole through her head, and Lexa’s hands mindlessly resting on her thigh, Clarke is close to combusting.  <br/> <br/>When they pull to a stop in front of the club, Clarke practically springs out of Lexa’s laps and dives out the door, earning a strange look from the rest of the party.<br/> <br/>When Clarke planned this party, she hadn’t anticipated Lexa coming. An alcohol fueled dance night is seeming like a worse and worse idea by the moment.<br/> <br/>The thrumming base of the club reverberates in Clarke’s chest. Once they’re inside the club, they’re immediately presented with shots, which are gone almost as quickly as they appeared.<br/> <br/>The night continues in a haze of shots. Dancing. More shots. Back room. Dancing. Shots. Strippers.<br/> <br/>While Octavia is given a lap dance from a chiseled man in a cowboy hat and a thong, Clarke takes the time to finally break from the constant alcohol and dancing, and shifts her gaze to Lexa, who looks wholly uncomfortable with mostly naked men gyrating near her face. Unfortunately for her, Raven picks up on this discomfort too.<br/> <br/>“The guys not doing it for you, Lex?” Raven asks.<br/> <br/>Lexa looks at her unamused, “Not my type.”<br/> <br/>“Right, more into the busty blondes.”<br/> <br/>Lexa’s brain is swimming in alcohol, and she doesn’t have the wherewithal to stop herself from drifting her gaze back to Clarke at Raven’s comment. Clarke, having a similar issue, gets caught in her own staring and they share a soft smile.<br/> <br/>“You know, Griff gives one hell of a lapdance,” Raven quips. Lexa’s eyebrows quirk up, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Clarke as she mumbles a soft “hmm.”<br/> <br/>Raven rolls her eyes, and returns to stuffing dollar bills into the waistband of underwear.<br/> <br/>Lexa takes Raven’s distraction as a good time to leave to go sit next to Clarke and commiserate. She brings a drink for each of them as she plops down next to her fake girlfriend.<br/> <br/>There’s a brief lull in the party which Raven fills with “It’s time for body shots!!!!”<br/>Clarke and Lexa sit uncomfortably on the cushioned seats while Octavia’s drunk sorority sisters lick salt off the strippers and each other, down their shots of tequila, and bite the lime. They are both content to sit out of this one, but Raven has other plans.<br/> <br/>“Clexa! Stop being boring and get over here!” Raven shouts over the music. They share a reluctant glance and head over to Raven. Raven immediately pushes Lexa down onto the bar to lie back, and lifts the hem of her shirt to reveal her abs. Raven lets out a wolf-whistle and winks at Clarke.<br/> <br/>“Clarke, I need you to lick it so the salt sticks.”<br/> <br/>Clarke rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Her brain is already swimming in alcohol and adding more won’t help.<br/> <br/>“If you don’t I will, because damn,” Octavia offers and gestures to Lexa’s taut stomach. Lexa’s propped up on her elbows, and smiles, “C’mon Clarke.”<br/> <br/>Clarke shoves Octavia over and licks a trail from Lexa’s belly button to her sternum and Raven generously sprinkles salt over it, then places the shot between her breasts, and the lime between her teeth.<br/> <br/>“All yours Clarkey.”<br/> <br/>Not one to back down from a challenge, Clarke swipes her tongue back over Lexa’s abs, grabs the shot with her teeth and downs it without needing her hands, then plants a dirty kiss to Lexa’s lips to remove and bite the lime. When she opens her eyes, Lexa’s eyes are hooded and glued to her lips.  </p><p>“Let’s dance,” Clarke suggests before she crosses a line she can’t uncross. She drags Lexa off the bar and onto the dance floor and they begin a steady grind to the beat.<br/> <br/>Clarke wants nothing more than to drag Lexa into the women’s bathroom and push her against a dirty bathroom wall. To slip her hand into her jeans and fuck her until her voice is hoarse from screaming her name. But she can’t do that. Lexa isn’t her real girlfriend. This is fake. This is for the cover, and she already blew it with Lexa.<br/> <br/>Then why does it seem so real? Why are her pupils blown so big? Why are her hands always so close to where I want them? I should kiss her.<br/> <br/>A tray of shots comes by and Clarke grabs four hoping they’ll drown her growing libido with them. She hands two to Lexa and they both take them back to back, then fall back into dancing in a blurry haze.<br/> <br/>That’s the last thing either of them remember.<br/> <br/>----------------<br/> <br/>A blaring alarm awakens Lexa. Lexa, tangled in a blanket on the floor, blindly flails trying to find her phone before she realized she’s not in her own home. She’s not even in a bed, but she can see Clarke, passed out fully clothed on her own bed begin to groan and stir.<br/> <br/>“Dear god make it stop,” Clarke whines.<br/> <br/>“We have a briefing. We have to get up.”<br/> <br/>“Leave me here to die in peace.”<br/> <br/>Lexa sits up and squints her eyes open to realize she’s still dressed, and doesn’t need to find clothes for the day. As she moves to stand, a wave of nausea hits her and he has to grab the dresser to keep from falling over. After willing the contents of her stomach to remain there, she calls an Uber and directs it to The Buy More.<br/> <br/>Lexa’s head is pounding. Every sound feels like a jackhammer against her temple. Any amount of light feels like staring into the sun. She hasn’t been this hungover in her life. All she wants to do is curl up into the fetal position on the bathroom floor, throw up, and die. How she managed to get dressed and get to The Cave for a briefing is beyond her. She’s actually pretty sure she might still be drunk.<br/> <br/>Anya waltzes into the conference room a few minutes after Lexa arrives, throws her stuff onto the table, and then says, “You look rough. Fun night?”<br/> <br/>Lexa wails in pain, “Please stop screaming.”<br/> <br/>“I take it Griffin is in similar shape?”<br/> <br/>“I don’t even know. I can’t remember half of my night. I don’t even know how I made it home, forget how I remembered to make it here for this briefing.”<br/> <br/>Anya barks in laughter and Lexa covers her ears at the sound. “You should take the sunglasses off before Beckman calls. Or she’ll know you’re hungover”<br/> <br/>“If I take the sunglasses off, I’ll die.”<br/> <br/>“Drama queen.”<br/> <br/>The screen blinks on a moment later, and Lexa winces at the brightness.<br/> <br/>The briefing lasts twenty minutes and the only parts Lexa remembers are the words arms dealer. Cicada. Volunteer.<br/> <br/>When the call ends, Lexa crumples back on to the table and Anya erupts in laughter, “I cannot believe you just agreed to that!”<br/> <br/>“What?” Lexa grumbles.<br/> <br/>“You have to be the bait.”<br/> <br/>“Bait for what?”<br/> <br/>“Were you not paying attention?”<br/> <br/>“Anya, I can hear every noise on the planet right now. No, I do not know what is funny.”<br/> <br/>“Beckman wanted Clarke to be the bait in this mission, but she’s not here so you said you’d do it.”<br/> <br/>“So?”<br/> <br/>“The date is with a guy. You have to pretend to be really into this arms dealer to get him to spill his supplier.”<br/> <br/>Lexa thuds her head onto the table.<br/>-----------<br/>After her shift, Clarke heads to The Cave to catch up on what she missed in the morning’s briefing. There’s a stack of files on her desk and a list of tactical training drills she still needs to master before Beckman will let her go on a mission by herself. Clarke dives into the paperwork immediately and loses track of time.<br/> <br/>When Luna walks in, Clarke doesn’t even notice until she throws a bag into the chair next to her. The noise startles Clarke, and she jumps in her seat. “Holy shit you scared me.”<br/> <br/>“No Spidey senses in that new Intersect?” Luna jokes.<br/> <br/>“Har har. No, and I was buried in paperwork and don’t even know what time it is. Where is everyone else? I thought we had a full team meeting?”<br/> <br/>“You don’t know?”<br/> <br/>“Know what?”<br/> <br/>“Lexa’s got a date tonight.”<br/> <br/>“A date?”<br/> <br/>“Mhm. It’s just us and some paperwork tonight.”<br/> <br/>Clarke’s mind starts to tailspin. Lexa has a date? With who? Oh god. She waited too long—“Where?” Clarke manages to ask.<br/> <br/>“Cicada Club. I thought you knew?”<br/> <br/>Clarke shakes her head. She didn’t. “I—uh. I’ve hit a wall with this paperwork and will finish it tomorrow. Have a good night Luna.”<br/> <br/>Luna gives her an odd look, but lets her go nonetheless.<br/> <br/>Clarke sprints out of The Cave and gets into her car without second thought, headed towards the club. She hasn’t thought about what she’s going to say, but all she knows is that she needs to be there.<br/> <br/>--------------<br/> <br/>Anya hates ballroom dancing. She hates dancing in general, but ballroom is especially bad. She’s never been so happy to be relegated to the role of bartender during a mission. Lexa, on the other hand, has the unique position of playing bait this time. For a man. It is always funny to watch her pretend to be straight. The earpiece gives Anya prime audio for Lexa pretending to flirt with this arms dealer, and Lexa’s mumblings just for her about how gross this is.<br/> <br/>“Lexa, be a professional,” Anya scolds after Lexa muttered a quiet “kill me” into her mic.<br/> <br/>“He excused himself to use the bathroom, so I am allowed to retch in peace, thank you very much,” she snarks back.<br/> <br/>“Just get excited for the dancing.”<br/> <br/>“Ugh, hopefully we can finish this before it gets to that. Once he accidentally leaks his shipment information, we can go get the weapons.”<br/> <br/>The music picks back up with the band, and Lexa gets her and her date another round of drinks and returns to her seat.<br/> <br/>“Commander, why is Griffin here?”<br/> <br/>“What?”<br/> <br/>“Western entrance. Your 9:00. Griffin is here.”<br/> <br/>Lexa scans the room until her eyes land on Clarke, who is criminally underdressed for an establishment like this, and is absolutely going to ruin her cover. Their eyes lock, and Clarke begins to stalk over to her table.<br/> <br/>“I don’t know why she’s here, but we just made eye contact, and she’s headed my way.” Lexa stands to meet her in the middle.<br/> <br/>“Lex, you look… beautiful.”<br/> <br/>“Clarke, what are you doing here?” Lexa asks between gritted teeth.<br/> <br/>“I can’t let you do this. After last night? You know there’s still something here.”<br/> <br/>Lexa’s thrown for a loop. What the hell is Clarke talking about? She doesn’t have time to dwell on it because she can see Chris Ramirez returning from the bathroom and heading back towards their table. Shit.<br/> <br/>“Clarke, kiss me.”<br/> <br/>“What?”<br/> <br/>“Kiss me.”<br/> <br/>Clarke doesn’t need to be asked a third time and grabs Lexa’s cheeks and kisses her, not for a cover, not for the benefit of her friends, but for herself. She shifts to change the angle when she feels a hand against her chest and gets shoved back. Before she can ask what she did wrong, Lexa slaps her across the face, and Clarke is completely lost. She clutches her cheek and looks at Lexa in confusion.<br/> <br/>Lexa winces an apology then cocks her head toward the bar. Clarke’s eyes follow the movement where she sees Anya tending bar.<br/> <br/>Oh.<br/> <br/>Oh.<br/> <br/>This is a mission. Lexa is not on a real date. Clarke is about to ruin her cover.<br/> <br/>A man in an expensive suit approaches the two of them, and says, “Usually I’m opposed to my date kissing other people during the date.”<br/> <br/>Lexa jumps to defend herself, “Chris, this is Clarke, my ex who is having a little trouble saying goodbye. She followed me here.”<br/> <br/>“As I said, I don’t like my dates kissing other people. But I can make an exception when it’s two ladies,” Chris adds.<br/> <br/>Ew. What a smarmy asshole.<br/> <br/>He invites both of them back to the booth and insists on sitting between them, arms around each of their shoulders.<br/> <br/>Flirting information out of him is much harder when he’s too distracted trying to flirt his way into a threesome.<br/> <br/>“You two should dance together. I’ll get us more drinks.”<br/> <br/>Clarke and Lexa take the opportunity offered to regroup. Figure out a new strategy to get information out of him.<br/> <br/>They get to the dance floor and Lexa pulls Clarke into her arms, hand in hand, other hand on her waist.<br/> <br/>“What are we going to do? He won’t stop staring at us and trying to flirt his way into bed with the both of us long enough to get any information out of him.” <br/> <br/>“What if we don’t get him to talk?”<br/> <br/>“Yeah, that’s my whole point,” Lexa counters. She sways side to side with Clarke following.<br/> <br/>“I mean what if we don’t try to get him to say anything, and we just pull contacts from his phone.”<br/> <br/>“How do you plan on getting his phone?”<br/> <br/>“I dunno, reaching into his pants probably.”<br/> <br/>“Ew.”<br/> <br/>Clarke throws her head back in a laugh. She hadn’t expected such a candid answer. “He won’t see it that way though”<br/> <br/>“It’s worth a shot. Otherwise this mission is a bust.”<br/> <br/>The song comes to an end, and the two of them come to a stop, still standing in each other’s arms before they head back to Chris. Then a new song starts and the auditory signal sets of a chain reaction in Clarke’s brain.<br/> <br/>Argentine Tango. Boleos. Voleos. Colgada. Volcada. Lifts. Hand positioning. Foot play. Sentada.<br/> <br/>“Clarke, did you just?”<br/> <br/>Without warning, Clarke pulls Lexa back into her arms. Lexa’s surprise by the sudden embrace quickly dissipates once Clarke begins to lead. She moves gracefully, powerfully, and all Lexa can do is breathlessly match her movements stride for stride. </p><p>She hooks a leg around Clarke’s hip, resting her forehead against hers, and suddenly nothing else matters. Not the mission. Not their mark. Only Clarke, Clarke, Clarke, and the way their bodies are flush against each other, the way Clarke’s hand sits on her lower back, the way she can feel her heart pounding faster and faster with each sharp turn. </p><p>A series of foot play, their legs flicking back and forth between the others’. As the song continues, Clarke spins Lexa out, she pulls her quickly back into her arms into a low lift. She holds her for a moment, somehow surprised at her own strength, but more distracted by their proximity. <br/> <br/>The music stops. Clarke sets Lexa gently back onto the floor, and they stand there, holding eye contact while panting, and knowing that this time, they don’t have the excuse of alcohol to justify the blown pupils and glances at lips. They’re broken out of their reverie when the rest of the club begins to clap for their performance. They jump apart and head back to their booth.<br/> <br/>“Quite the performance!” expresses Chris. “It’s nice to know you’re so… flexible,” he directs at Lexa.<br/> <br/>Lexa forces a smile as she takes a seat on his right as Clarke takes a seat on his left.<br/> <br/>“So, Chris, tell me about yourself,” Clarke asks with a flirty smile. She drops her hand on his thigh and starts to rub, feeling for a phone. She finds nothing.<br/> <br/>While Chris rambles about himself, Clarke kicks at Lexa to search his other leg. Reluctantly, she places a hand on his other thigh and does the same, finding the phone and discretely nudging it up and out of his pocket. She subtly hands it to Clarke behind his back.<br/> <br/>Clarke excuses herself to the bathroom, where she clones his phone (perk of being part of the Nerd Herd). She briefly scans through the texts, finding some cryptic ones that must be pick-up locations, drop sites, and shipments. They have the number of supplies, as well as some of the lower-level dealers Chris works with. </p><p>Once she confirms that the phone has all the information they need, Clarke leaves the bathroom and meets Lexa at the bar.  </p><p>“Where’s Chris?”</p><p>“At the booth,” Lexa vaguely gestures in that direction, and Clarke looks to find him slumped over onto the table. </p><p>“What happened to him?” </p><p>“I might have drugged his drink after he said one too many lewd comments about a threeway with us.” </p><p>“De we need to…?” </p><p>“Nah, he’s fine. He’s low-hanging fruit for the CIA. I called a friend at the FBI to come pick him up. They should be here soon. Toss his phone on the table, and let’s get out of here.”</p><p>----------------</p><p>Lexa drives Clarke home after the mission.<br/> <br/>“I’m sorry I crashed your mission.”<br/> <br/>“You ended up saving it, so I think you’re forgiven.”<br/> <br/>Clarke smiles, “Good. I’d like to not ruin my chances at this spy thing just yet. Goodnight Lexa.”<br/> <br/>“Goodnight Clarke.”<br/> <br/>No kiss. Just a slight smile and nod as she hops out of the car. She unlocks her front door, and stumbles through the dark into her bedroom.<br/> <br/>“How was your mission?” is asked right as she flicks on the light and Clarke nearly startles out of her skin.<br/> <br/>“Jesus Christ Raven! How did you get into my room?”<br/> <br/>“O let me in. So how was the mission?”<br/> <br/>“Accidental. I almost ruined it until I didn’t. Apparently I know how to tango now, so that’s a new one.”<br/> <br/>“Sexy. You and Lexa get all up close and hot n’ bothered?”<br/> <br/>“I did, but I honestly can’t tell if she did.”<br/> <br/>“She looked pretty affected last night? I was pretty sure you guys were going to fuck after the way she looked at you after you took a shot off her abs last night.”<br/> <br/>“Well we didn’t.”<br/> <br/>“Are you sure? You two were very touchy all night after that too.”<br/> <br/>“Well I woke up fully clothed on my bed and she woke up fully clothed on the floor so I think it’s safe to assume nothing happened. I can’t even tell if she would have wanted anything to happen. At first I couldn’t tell. It felt real, but it was fake. And then she committed treason to keep me safe and I realized it wasn’t just me, and she felt something too. But I ruined that, and now I’m back to square one. Hopelessly in love with her, and I can’t tell if I’m back to being just a cover or if there’s something real here.”<br/> <br/>“That’s rough buddy.”<br/> <br/>“So not helpful, Zuko.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Clarke vs. Red Test</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p> </p><p>(this was solidly mediocre)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anya, Lexa, and Clarke sit at the conference table in The Cave. General Beckman’s face is on the screen, but she’s surprisingly quiet for a briefing.</p><p>“Here’s your mission,” Anya says, sliding a manila folder across the conference table.</p><p>Clarke opens the folder and reads a name and location, and glances at a photo.</p><p>“It’s your red test, Clarke,” Anya adds.</p><p>“I don’t know what that means.”</p><p>“It’s your target. Enemy of the state. You take him out, you get certified. You don’t and you’re bound to a desk and the van for the rest of your CIA career.”</p><p>“I can’t kill anyone,” Clarke objects.</p><p>“Then you won’t be a spy.”</p><p>Lexa sits mysteriously quiet at the table, but once Clarke heads back to the Buy More for her shift, Lexa objects to the idea of Clarke killing someone.</p><p>“It’s not fair. She never asked for this. We know how gun shy she is. You know she won’t be able to do it and will never be a full-fledged field agent. It’s an unfair test.”</p><p>“Agent Woods, this is how the CIA functions. You should know better than anyone,” Indra replies before abruptly hanging up.</p><p>“I’ll be there the whole time. If she can’t do it, I’ll make sure she’s safe,” Anya promises.</p><p>“I can’t be there.”</p><p>Anya gives Lexa a slight smile, “I know.”<br/>
-----------</p><p>At precisely 7:57PM, Anya pulls an unmarked van up to an abandoned train station. The meet is scheduled for 8:00PM. He thinks he’s there for a routine drop. Clarke knows he’s there to die.</p><p>They pause as Clarke takes a few deep breaths to steady herself, then turns to Anya with her hand outstretched for the gun.<br/>
Anya screws the silencer onto the front and hands it over. “You can do this, Clarke,” she assures.</p><p>“Can I?”</p><p>“You can and you will.”</p><p>Clarke mumbles to herself as she gets out of the car.</p><p>She spies her mark. He looks surprisingly calm for a man about to die. Then again, he thinks this is a routine rendez-vous.</p><p>Clarke waits behind a corner until exactly 8:00PM, then takes a deep breath steps out with her gun drawn.</p><p>Her vision blurs—target practice. Bullseye. Headshot. Center chest. 38 caliber. Pistols. Silencer fire. Back blow physics.</p><p>When her vision clears, all she has to do is pull the trigger, but she hesitates, and in that split second, the man hears her footsteps and runs.</p><p>“Shit,” she says and begins to chase, gun still drawn although she has no intention of shooting.</p><p>Her counterpart, however, has no such qualms and pulls a gun from his belt and fires back towards Clarke.</p><p>Anya hears the shots and comes running.</p><p>Weaving through empty train cars, Clarke stays hot on his trail. A few more gun shots go off, none of them from Clarke’s gun. </p><p>Anya follows closely behind Clarke, unnoticed by either her or the mark.</p><p>Clarke finally has a clear shot of the target. He’s standing between train cars, backlit from the one streetlight in the vicinity. Clarke lifts her gun once again.</p><p>Her vision blurs again with the same series of images. Target practice. Bullseye. Headshot. Center chest. 38 caliber. Pistols. Silencer fire. Back blow physics</p><p>She squeezes her eyes tightly shut and braces herself for blowback.</p><p>BANG</p><p>The target falls to the ground. Clarke opens her eyes. She hadn’t pulled the trigger yet. She spins around to find Anya putting her gun back into its holster. She gives a curt nod, lifts her finger to her lips, and heads back to the van.</p><p>Clarke discharges her gun once into the ground, then follows a minute later. She climbs into the car silently before finally asking, “Why?”</p><p>“I’m not going to let your humanity be the reason you don’t get certified. As far as the CIA knows, you passed your test. Got him in one shot. No one has to know.”</p><p>Clarke nods, “Thank you.”</p><p>By the time they get back to The Cave, Lexa has been pacing for fifteen minutes. She nearly leaps at the two when they stroll through the door.</p><p>Anya slaps Clarke on the back like a quarterback congratulating a wide receiver, and Clarke grins. Lexa reads between the lines. Clarke passed, and that news brings no relief. Instead, her stomach tightens, and she’s unsettled. Her Clarke wouldn’t have been able to do that.</p><p>“I have to go shower and change for O’s rehearsal dinner. Lexa, I’ll meet you there?”</p><p>Lexa gives her a slight nod and watches her leave.</p><p>Once alone with Anya, she asks, “She passed?”</p><p>“She did. Why do you look like something crawled up your ass and died? You should be happy about this news. It means she’s still a part of the team.”</p><p>Lexa nods again, still feeling uneasy. She then excuses herself to get ready for the dinner as well.<br/>
-----------------</p><p>Clarke feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulders. She passed. Or at least she passed in the eyes of the CIA. She can be in the field. She can still be with Lexa.</p><p>But now isn’t quite the time to think about that as she helps guests find their seats, gives a big hug to Mrs. Blake and catches up with Bellamy. This is O’s night, and Clarke will put aside her news for her best friend.</p><p>But then Lexa walks into the room, and Clarke sees her greet Octavia and Lincoln with a big hug of congratulations, and she can’t stop herself from being distracted.</p><p>Lexa looks beautiful. Clarke is fully aware that this rehearsal dinner is for Lincoln and Octavia, but Clarke cant help but focus on Lexa. The way she throws her head back when she laughs, the way her fingers curl around a flute of champagne, the way she catches her eye from across the room and gives a slight nod and smile of acknowledgment. </p><p>Clarke loves her.</p><p>Clarke was overwhelmed by Lexa before the speeches started, but once she hears from the respective families about what it takes to make a marriage last, how you’ll love the person more and more each day, and the joy of spending a life together, Clarke is barely holding it together. She’s cried three times already and this is only the rehearsal dinner.</p><p>All Clarke can think about is Lexa. She keeps trying to make eye contact with her, but she’s always distracted.</p><p>Finally, as the evening begins to wind down, she pulls Lexa to the side. “Can we talk?”</p><p>“I’m not sure there’s anything to talk about.”</p><p>Clarke looks hurt, and a little confused, “I—What?”</p><p>“You killed someone Clarke!”</p><p>Clarke gets defensive. “Seriously? That is what this is about? My red test? You kill people all the time, why is it different when I do it?”</p><p>Lexa recoils from the accusation like she’s been slapped, then quietly responds, “Because not being able to is why I—”</p><p>Clarke’s eyes flicker up, expecting a confession, but Lexa pushes to continue, “It’s what made you you. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”</p><p>The hope that had built up in Clarke’s chest bursts into hurt, and she has to will the tears back from falling. “Lexa I—”</p><p>She’s interrupted by Octavia who asks for her help with answering questions from various family members about the ceremony and reception. Clarke excuses herself from her conversation with Lexa, and Lexa grabs her coat and leaves.</p><p>By the time Clarke has answered every annoying question from both Lincoln’s and Octavia’s families, she scans the room looking for Lexa, and only now realizes that she’s gone. Clarke grabs her phone to call her.</p><p>Lexa doesn’t answer, so she decides to leave a voicemail. Pacing in the venue, she waits for the automated message and then the beep, and then everything comes pouring out.</p><p>“You said things changed because of my red test. But they didn’t. I didn’t pull the trigger. Anya did. I just took credit so I could be certified as a field agent. I’m still me. I’m still the same Clarke and I...I love you. God that feels good to say out loud. I love you. Okay one more time, I love you, Lexa Woods. Come over when you get this. If you don’t feel the same way, just pretend you didn’t get this and I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow morning.”  </p><p>Meanwhile in her apartment, Lexa steps out of the shower to find a missed call and a voicemail from Clarke. After wrapping a towel around her torso, she puts the phone to her ear and listens.</p><p>Clarke didn’t kill her mark. Clarke is still her Clarke. Clarke loves her.</p><p>The next few minutes are a blur and Lexa frantically throws on some clothes. She puts on her sweatpants, throws on a flannel, not even bothering to button it all the way. She hastily stuffs her wedding outfit into a bag, grabs her keys, and bolts out the door.</p><p>But as she steps out of her front door, something blunt and metal collides with the back of her head, and she falls to the ground with blurry vision thinking only of Clarke.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>Clarke waits up half the night hoping Lexa will show up at her doorstep, but by 2:00 AM, she gives up and falls into a restless sleep.</p><p>When her alarm blares at 8:00AM, it’s time to get up and get ready with the bride.</p><p>Octavia runs into the room, “I’m getting married today!” In her stupor, she doesn’t notice Clarke’s red-rimmed eyes and sad smile. Clarke plasters on a fake smile and some enthusiasm, and puts the bridesmaid and wedding dresses in the back seat of her car, then loads Octavia in and they’re off to the church to get ready.</p><p>The bridal party is all getting their hair and makeup done. Clarke settles Octavia in with the makeup artist and then grabs Raven by the arm and drags her into the hallway.</p><p>“Ow Clarke, what the hell?”</p><p>“Where is Lexa? Is she standing me up?”</p><p>“No? Why would she be standing you up?”</p><p>“Because last night I told her that I loved her and she never responded. And now she’s late. She’s never late.”</p><p>Raven grimaces, “Maybe Anya was running late? I know they planned to drive together?”</p><p>Clarke doesn’t even have time to process that Anya is here as Raven’s plus one.</p><p>As if summoned by hearing her name, Anya walks into the building and is immediately assaulted by Clarke, “WHERE THE HELL IS LEXA?”</p><p>“What do you mean? She didn’t come with you?”</p><p>“No.” Clarke takes a deep breath. “But I’m going to go drag her ass here.” She turns to look at Raven. “Ray, make sure Octavia doesn’t notice I’m gone.”</p><p>Clarke angrily climbs into her car, muttering to herself. She starts to plan a speech to tear Lexa a new one for standing her up. It would be one thing if she didn’t love me, but to ignore the message and to ghost on O’s big day is just unacceptable.</p><p>When she pulls in front of Lexa’s apartment, she slams the door shut and marches to the front door, ready to knock it down with her body if she has to. But as she gets closer to the door, she notices a small duffle bag haphazardly left on the stoop. And as she approaches even closer, she realizes that what she thought was the bag’s shadow is a dark reddish brown stain on the concrete. Blood. All of Clarke’s anger melts into panic.</p><p>All logic dives out the window as Clarke opens the unlocked front door. Everything looks normal. Nothing is out of place.</p><p>She calls Lexa. No answer. She calls again. Still no answer. She calls a third time, and this time it goes straight to voicemail.</p><p>She rushes back to the stoop and opens the duffle bag, afraid of finding the worst, but instead, all she finds is Lexa’s tux and a toothbrush. Lexa, at the very least, was headed to the wedding when something happened.</p><p>Clarke pulls out her phone again, this time to call Anya. “Something has happened. I need you to meet me at Lexa’s.”</p><p>Anya can hear the panic in her voice, and sprints for her car.<br/>
----------</p><p>Meanwhile, in some damp basement, Lexa comes to. She’s duct taped to a chair, and her head is painfully throbbing.</p><p>In the distance she can hear voices. A woman and two men. She recognizes the woman’s voice. She racks her muddled brain for where she’s heard that voice before. Thinking hurts.</p><p>But then she hears, “Time to let the Intersect know we’ve got her. For real this time, not just some numbnuts Buy More employee.”</p><p>Luna.</p><p>The voice Lexa recognizes is Luna’s. The addition to the team that Indra Beckman herself had approved. Clearly they missed something in her background check if she’s a double agent.</p><p>Lexa hears footsteps approaching from behind, and steels herself for some torture.</p><p>“Well, well, well, look who finally woke up!” Luna taunts.</p><p>Lexa grunts in response.</p><p>“Why are you doing this Luna?”</p><p>“Oh Lexa. You are too far gone to realize how broken this country is. Only Titus can repair the damage. Return America to its glory days.”</p><p>“Whatever coup you’re attempting isn’t going to work,” Lexa rebuts.</p><p>“Not yet it won’t. But once we have the Intersect on our side, we’ll be just fine.”</p><p>Lexa tugs against her restraints, “Leave Clarke out of this.”</p><p>“My dear, sweet Lexa, you know I can’t do that. This plan can’t work without her. And we can’t get her unless we lure her here with you because… what was it that voicemail said last night? Oh, right, I love you Lexa Woods,” Luna sneers, and Lexa screams against her restraints, tugging, threatening to rip herself right out of the chair.</p><p>“Down, Agent Woods. No need for that. She’ll come willingly to our side once she realizes her own agency fails to protect the ones she loves.”<br/>
---------</p><p>Clarke’s phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number. </p><p>We have Agent Woods.</p><p>This is not the first time she’s gotten a threat like this. Last time, they just had the wrong girl. This time, when the photo loads, it’s of an unconscious Lexa bound to a chair, and something in Clarke turns feral.</p><p>Before even showing Anya, she calls the number. When a voice picks up, she asks, “Where?”</p><p>The man gives the address of an abandoned warehouse, and Clarke heads for the car without another word. She shoves her phone back in her pocket, and tells Anya where to go.</p><p>“You have guns in the car, right?”</p><p>“I always have guns.”</p><p>“Good, give me one.”</p><p>“Clarke,” Anya warns.</p><p>“I said, give me one.”</p><p>Anya hands her a Glock 43, loaded with real bullets, and they drive to the given address.</p><p>--------------</p><p>Clarke lets Anya lead them into the warehouse. Both have their guns drawn, ready for attack.</p><p>Anya sees two heavily armed men in a doorway and puts a bullet in each of them before they even have time to process that they are there.</p><p>They creep through the doorway, down a set of stairs, and find a basement room. Luna is waiting for them. She’s sitting in a chair with her feet propped up on a table. Behind her, Lexa remains slumped in a chair in a bloodstained flannel.</p><p>Anya and Clarke see Luna before they see Lexa and misunderstand the situation. They lower their guns, “Luna, thank god.</p><p>“Took you long enough, Colonel,” Luna scoffs.</p><p>“Luna, what are you doing? Why haven’t you untied Lexa?”</p><p>“Oh, she’s not as quick as we thought she was.”</p><p>The sound of conversation rouses Lexa from her semiconscious state. She looks up and makes eye contact with Clarke. “Clarke,” she whispers, “no.”</p><p>“Let’s get you two up to speed. I don’t work for the CIA anymore. I work for Titus, and Lexa here,” she gestures to Lexa with a gun, “is my bait to get me what I really want.”</p><p>Luna moves to stand behind Lexa who struggles against her restraints. She hold the gun up to Lexa’s temple. “What Titus needs is an Intersect, and what better way to get the Intersect than to take the girl she loves.”</p><p>She cocks the gun.</p><p>Anya draws her gun, “Luna, don’t. You can still come back from this.”</p><p>“I’d never work for you,” Clarke exclaims.</p><p>“You don’t have a choice. I’ll make a trade. She lives,” pressing the gun further into Lexa’s head, “if you work for me. You refuse, she dies.”</p><p>Luna continues, “It’s a simple choice really, your life or hers. I’ll give you to the count of three. One…two…”</p><p>Clarke sees Luna’s finger move to the trigger. She’s going to kill Lexa at three regardless of what Clarke says.</p><p>Her vision blurs—Target practice. Bullseye. Headshot. Center chest. 38 caliber. Pistols. Silencer fire. Back blow physics.</p><p>She reaches for her gun and fires, landing a shot right between Luna’s eyes, then throws the gun to the side and runs for Lexa.</p><p>Anya looks at her own gun in surprise. How did Clarke beat her to the shot?</p><p>Clarke grabs Lexa’s cheeks and looks into her eyes, “Lexa, are you okay?” She frantically looks into her eyes, and checks the lump at the back of her head. The gash has since subsided in gushing blood, but she should get stitches.</p><p>“Clarke,” Lexa whispers.</p><p>Clarke is too preoccupied checking Lexa for visible damage to hear. “Clarke,” she says a bit more sternly this time. Clarke looks up.</p><p>“You passed your red test.”  There’s a faint smile on her lips.</p><p>Clarke’s stomach plummets. Not passing her red test is the whole reason she still may have had a shot with Lexa. Now that she literally just killed someone in front of her, she worries she blew it.</p><p>“I know I just shot Luna, but I promise I’m still the same Clarke. I’m still me. I just couldn’t let her hurt you. You have to believe me. Please.”</p><p>Lexa seemingly ignores her, and turns to Anya instead, “Can you get me out of these?” she asks, gesturing to the duct tape around her wrists.</p><p>Anya pulls a knife from her boot and cuts Lexa free. Only then does Lexa turn back towards Clarke, this time grabbing her face and looking into her eyes before saying, “Thank you for saving me.”</p><p>Clarke tries to play it cool. “I figured I should try to even the score. What is it, 57-1?” she asks with a slight chuckle.</p><p>“Yeah, something like that,” Lexa agrees, leaning in to kiss her. Clarke immediately melts into the kiss, sighing softly as Lexa’s thumbs gently brush across her cheeks. </p><p>Clarke wraps her arms around Lexa’s waist, pulling her as close to her as possible, and when Lexa releases a shaky, relieved breath, Clarke grins against her lips. </p><p>Lexa smiles back into the kiss before slowly pulling back, resting her forehead against Clarke’s. “And for the record,” she says, “I love you too.” </p><p>Clarke leans in to capture Lexa’s lips once more, only for their kiss to be interrupted by the buzz of Clarke’s phone in her pocket. It’s Raven. </p><p>“Clarke, I know you’re on a secret CIA mission right now—don’t worry I’m locked in a supply closet so no one heard that-- but I can’t hold Octavia off any longer. She’s noticed you’re gone and is starting to go bridezilla on us.”</p><p>Clarke is still nestled into Lexa’s arms, and assures, “I’ll be right there.”<br/>
-------------</p><p>By some miracle, Clarke makes it back to the church in time for the ceremony. She does her makeup in the car and slips into her bridesmaids dress in the backseat while Anya drives her to the venue.</p><p>They agreed that Lexa can’t show up looking like a bloody mess. So they fabricated a lie for Octavia claiming that Lexa got into a car accident and might be a little late for the wedding. It explained Clarke’s brief disappearance and any concussion symptoms Lexa might exhibit when she does arrive. After hearing Lexa may be hurt, the bridezilla rage settles down into concerned friendship.</p><p>The ceremony is beautiful, and goes off without a hitch.</p><p>Clarke stands to Octavia’s side, holding the rings and bouquet, and periodically scans the audience for Lexa. The back door creaks open and Lexa sneaks in wearing a tux during Lincoln and Octavia’s vows. The vows are beautifully written, heartfelt, and sappy, but Clarke doesn’t hear a word of them. All she can see is Lexa, who looks up at her with a beaming grin and a wink.  </p><p>The reception is equally nice. Lexa and Clarke are seated at a table with Octavia’s family, and continue to field questions about their own love life, and for once, it’s really nice not having to lie. They hold hands and whisper to each other, and Octavia’s mother eventually adds, “I bet you two are next.”</p><p>Lexa blushes, but squeezes Clarke’s hand as if to say I hope so.</p><p>Eventually Lexa steals Clarke away from the table to dance. It’s a soft and slow song. Wrapped in Lexa’s arms, Clarke whispers another “I love you” and pecks her on the cheek. Lexa tugs her even closer, so Clarke presses on, “So, what do you think of our table’s plans for our future?”</p><p>Lexa smirks, “For now, I’m waiting until it’s an appropriate time for me to take you home and have a repeat of the motel.”</p><p>Clarke laughs, “And after that?”</p><p>“We’ll just figure out how to be spies in love.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and then they have earth shattering sex all over lexa's apartment</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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